RED
by Wingtear
Summary: Seth spots a girl, OC, on the dance floor, but she clearly belongs to the bartender... to be read AFTER "Definitely dropped on his head as a baby". This is the one that explains it all, the secrets, the fumbling, everything. Also quite the amount of fluff
1. first sight

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, the rest is just a glitch of my haphazard mind. (haha, I got to use it!!!) This is about Seth, and his imprintee, it's the sequel/prequel to **Definitely dropped on his head as a baby**, if you haven't read it yet, I prefer that you do, but I cannot stop you if you haven't. Just know, any questions about the storyline that have been answered there, I will not answer here. If you wonder about my OC's, go there and read. There might be a sequel/sequel as well, once this is done.  
To all who followed me in "Definitely dropped..." I say welcome back, I hope to have as much fun with you as I did in the last story. To all those new to this story (I know there'll be a few) Welcome. I hope you'll all enjoy this, and that all you ever wondered about how Seth and Phin met will be answered...

**Beta: Lacrema **(she's a lifesaver!!!)  
--

**First Sight**

**Seth**

I was on my way out of the nightclub, leaving as fast as I could. The fabricated smoke stung my nose, the lighting was making me dizzy and the sound... I didn't understand how anyone in their right mind willingly spent time anywhere near those speakers, the volume was ridiculous. Coming up to the first floor and the exit I looked out over the dance floor, freedom just a few feet away. I had felt a strange yearning to go back here from the second I entered the doors.

I looked at the crowd, moving like zombies to the trance music. There were some couples who were more tangled up in each other than apart, some who danced two on two and some in groups. I noticed a red shimmer in the middle. For no reason other than curiosity I kept looking, not bothering with the strobe light shining straight in my eyes. There it was again. Now I saw it was the hair of a girl with her back to me. She was dancing with a few older ladies who looked utterly uncomfortable there. Once again my eyes strayed to her hair. It was deep red, or at least looked that way in the dim lights she danced under, and it reached to her hips. It seemed very thick as it bounced around, emphasizing her every move. When the song was over, the girl and her friends left the floor and I let my gaze follow her, wondering if she might talk to me, if I could make myself go into the smoky pit that had given this floor the name Deep Trance.

When they reached their table the girl spun around quickly and I caught a glimpse of her front as she did. She wasn't slim, her bone structure was too squarely built for that, but her muscles were defined against her pale skin. She had rounded hips and I was a little amazed that I liked that. I had never noticed a woman's body in particular before. I knew this arousal, I had shared the others' minds as they thought about girls they liked, but I had never felt it myself before. I didn't dare look at her, waist up, not sure how that would make me react. Actually, after observing my brothers, I was too sure of how I would respond.

As she ended her spin, her back against me once more, she made her way over to the bar. The look she received from the bartender made my heart sink, he looked at her like she was there for him and him alone. She leaned on the counter, talking for a while, her body language showing to everyone looking that she knew how he looked at her, and that she liked it. She was too far away for me to hear a word she said, but by the way she moved I gathered they were having fun. I've never noticed a guy's eyes sparkle before, but every time she tilted her head to the side it shot stars across his eyes. I sighed deeply. Of course a girl like her was spoken for. If they weren't a couple already then they weren't far from it. I turned and made for the exit when I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Hey kid, I might have changed my mind about the work, after all." The head guard stood behind me, looking tired.

"Really? Why? I don't have any more experience or ID's than I did ten minutes ago."

"Well, the thing is, we're not allowed to hire minors, and since you have no papers I'm sure you're under 21. No, don't say anything. I don't like liars and if you never said your age, I never knew it. The job would be under the table, so to speak. If the cops come asking questions you're just an extra for the night and so on. You catch my drift?"

"Sure. When do I start?"

"Tomorrow night, if possible. When does the gig at the farm end?"

"The end of next week. I can work double though."

"No doubt. I'd prefer it if those kids you travel with have left town before we kick this into gear though, the less people around who know you the better."

"OK, works for me."

"Great. It's a deal, then. This is the only contract I can give you, but to me it's as binding as a written one." He reached out his hand and I shook it firmly.

So now I was a bouncer at the club, off the record but still; I might get to see her again. I turned around for one last peek of her before I left. Once again the red hair caught my eye, in the middle of the swaying crowd. She was alone this time, obviously dancing for the bartender, and his eyes were on her every second he could spare.  
The music changed into a slower tempo and a song I knew came on, a remix of an old rock ballad. I smiled as I saw her start to move more fluidly, following the music with her whole body. Around her, couples wrapped themselves around each other, but she remained slowly revolving on her own.  
I saw her profile against the light and had to fight the urge to howl. From the side, nothing of her square shape showed. All too visible were her rounded buttocks, her very thin waist, and her chest. Oh god, her chest. Good thing I didn't look before the chief came to talk to me, I would have been drooling. As she turned towards me I saw her lips moving, she was singing along to the music as she moved.

_Look into my eyes , You will see,  
What you mean to me.  
Search your heart, search your soul,_  
_And when you find me there, you'll search no more..._

Her eyes were scanning the crowd, she seemed anxious about being pushed, and she darted out of the way just before a couple all but trampled her as they danced around with vivid movements. Then her gaze locked mine and set my heart on fire. Even from this distance I knew they were green, they spellbound my soul. I suddenly felt that nothing mattered but her. As she turned some more her eyes left me, but I couldn't take mine off of her. Not now, not ever. My heart was no longer inside my chest, it was out there, dancing, with long red hair. She was my heart now, her movements made my blood pulsate. The pack were no longer my brothers, they were just a distant memory. She was all I needed. There was nothing more important to me than her. I would never leave this place. Ever. It didn't matter that I had told mom it would only be a few more weeks the last time I called her. For all she knew I was still upstate, close to the Canadian border. It didn't matter. She was all that mattered.  
The music changed once again, to a swifter pace this time, and Red made her way over to the ladies she had been dancing with earlier. As she sat down, a few girls came up to the table with disgust all over their faces. It seemed the discussion got heated, because suddenly Red stood up, nodded to the ladies, and walked away.

I moved quickly out of her path; I wasn't sure how I would act around her. I knew one thing though, now wasn't the time to kneel and ask her to marry me. As she stormed past me, not noticing anything around her, to the coat check, I caught a whiff of her scent. Unlike everyone else in the club, she didn't reek of perfume and other artificial fragrances. The only smell around her was a clean, salty scent mixed with some sweat. Not strange considering she had been rocking the night a few minutes ago. Also a strain of alcohol accompanied her, and I wasn't sure I liked that.

I turned my head to see the bartender scanning the floor for her. He must have missed the drama. I saw my chance and followed her as she left the club, wrapped in a green knitted scarf and a black coat trimmed with fake fur. I was lucky I hadn't worn a coat, the line was long and I wondered how she had gotten hers so quickly. When the guard at the door called her by name as he let her out, I realized she had to be quite the regular. I would definitely get to see her again. I tried to figure out what he had called her, but it had been too short and I wasn't prepared for it; it had been drowned in that infernal racket from the dance floor. Well, it didn't matter, she would always be Red to me. I would never be able to forget how her hair had glowed in the dim lights, guiding me to her, like a lighthouse leading a ship to port. I lingered little, not sure what to do when I got out, but then decided that whatever I did, I'd better do it before she found a cab.

Once I got outside, I saw her standing by the cab sign, her body heaving as if she was breathing heavily. I listened closely and heard that her breath actually was quite strained. Then I stopped thinking, and just walked over to her.

"Hey, are you OK?"

"Yh, ah..shmah..." The words were blurry but understandable.

"Do you need anything? Should I call someone or go ask the staff to get you some help?" I felt panic stir in me, what was one suppose to do about asthma? CPR?

"Noh... Ih'll eese shn..."

"OK. Are you waiting for a cab?" She gave me an annoyed look as she shrugged her shoulders. Damn! She was probably going to wait until that bartender of hers got off work. "Alright, sorry, didn't mean to snoop." I held up my hands, backing off a few steps. It felt wrong to move away, but she obviously wasn't comfortable with me that close."I'll just stand over here until you're feeling better, OK?"

She gave me a slow nod and then dropped down to a squat, placing her head between her knees. I heard her taking a few deep breaths, trying to calm the panting. She sounded better already, and I was relieved that it didn't seem to be anything that alarmed her. I saw her shiver a little and cursed myself for not bringing a jacket after all. She raised her rear end, still keeping her head low, her breathing shallow but calm now. I turned away as fast as I could when I realized what was happening, but still too slow. I felt my cheeks burn and was surprised that there was enough blood left in the rest of my system to go to my face. As she finally came up, slowly, she threw her head back, hair tousling around her shoulders, gasping for air, and started to sway. Once again I was at her side, without thinking about my shame, and grabbed her so she wouldn't fall. Her eyes were hazy, and I felt a jolt of fear. When did this happen? How drunk was she? The scent of alcohol in her breath was evident, but not overwhelming. She didn't reek, like Embry usually did after a night out. Then her eyes focused, the haze disappeared and she seemed to find her balance.

A blush rushed to her cheeks, making her look absolutely adorable. "Oh my, how embarrassing."

"What?"

"I haven't have such a head-rush in years. First I get an asthma attack, probably scaring people half to death the way I wheezed in there, and now I would have fallen right on my ass if you hadn't been here to catch me. Embarrassing!"

"I don't mind, always happy to help a lady in need. And as for anyone hearing anything in there? I don't think so." I let go of her waist, and watched her carefully before letting go of her arm. She was steady on her feet. As I heard her snort I met her eyes; had I looked at her for too long?

"Lady? Me?" She rolled her eyes "You're not from around here, are you?"

"No. I came with the bus last week, me and a group of other guys go from place to place, working on farms. They all leave next week, but I'm thinking of staying, this is a nice place."

"Yeah, right..." There was aversion in her voice.

We talked for a while more, I have no idea about what, until I noticed how badly she was shaking. "OK, now we really have to get you a cab before you get frostbite on top of it all. Have you called one or should I have the bouncer do it?"

"No need. Where are you staying?"

"At the Silverthorne B&B, so I'll walk, it shouldn't take more than half an hour, maybe even less." In wolf form that is, no need to tell her that.

"Oh..." She looked panicked for a second, then shrugged a little and struck a slightly more straight-up pose.

"What? Something wrong with that?" What did I do this time? Why did that upset her? Girls!

"No, it's just that... I was kind of waiting for you to catch a cab so I could walk home myself..." Walk herself? Alone? In the middle of the night? No way! Uh-uh, not my Red, I would follow her to her doorstep if I had to sneak behind her like a stalker. This insanity had to end.

"OK, where do you live?" For a second I hoped that she would have the sense to not tell me, she couldn't know I meant her no harm.

"Two houses from the B&B..."

YES!!!

--

**AN:** If there are any misstakes, tell me. I had to add some extra that Lacrema didn't get to see. Now, what did you think of this? Please tell me. I am in no way able to know what you thoughts if you don't.


	2. christmas party

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just play with them. So, second chapter... Now we see Phin's side of the deal... And the question, _was she really flirting with the bartender?_ will be answered... I am so happy to see some of my "old" reviewers follow me here! I am thrilled about you new ones too, of course! So, let's rock this story as much as the last one, shall we?

**beta: Lacrema**  
--

**Christmas Party**

**Phin**

I laughed so hard I almost cried, these ladies were hilarious. Standing in line to enter the one and only nightclub in the area, they debated whether there would be a maximum age limit and not just a minimum. I had tried to tell them it wouldn't matter, Johnny at the door would let us all in, without standing in line, if they'd just let me ask him. But they wanted to do this the "real" way. I rolled my eyes at the thought. How often did three ladies over fifty go into a nightclub buried underground? And I don't mean the cougars, I'm talking real Ladies here.

Johnny tried to choke back a laughter as he spotted me and I waved at him. I didn't care much for the customers of this place, but the staff was the best. Like Taylor, "my" bartender. He was always ready with his hand on the water tap as I approached the bar, it would shell-shock him to see me tonight.

Tonight was our Christmas party, a bit delayed, but still. We couldn't very well have one around the holidays, the post-office was always swamped weeks into the new year. I was so relieved there had been enough time to train the ladies to handle the computers before we got rushed; they were so stressed out about those machines.

We had the party at work, in the lunchroom. The food was all homemade, everybody bringing something they liked, and something to drink for themselves. I had made blueberry pie and some grilled ribs. No need for drinks, there was water in the tap.

Louise had been the first to show, helping me set the table. I was the party organizer since I lived in the back room, and Louise decided I was way too effective so she mixed me something. I tried to tell her no, but she insisted. A spur of the moment impulse made me accept.

I hadn't had a drink since my first time, at my eighteenth birthday, but none of my family was around and I felt safe with my ladies. They were never fooled by my mother and had my back through every phone call I had to make back home.

When Grace and Rosanne arrived I was tipsy already. Go figure I wouldn't be able to hold liquor graciously. They just laughed at me, giggling like never before, and poured me another glass of wine. They all brought too much food-- how much did they think four women would eat? And they all had way too much to drink. I told them, between my giggling lapses, that I was starting to suspect that they had ulterior motives, and were trying to make me so wasted I would fall asleep before dessert. They found that hysterically funny.

By the time we were ready to go, they had decided to see for themselves the club I had described so many times. Then they made me change clothes four times. I was now wearing my ordinary clubbing clothes: black cargo-pants, flat shoes that would not stick to the dance floor and a top I actually had never worn before. It was deep green, I had picked it for the way it complemented my red hair, but it had an abyss-like décolletage that would normally make me blush just thinking about it. As I changed clothes repeatedly, they admired my tattoo, wondering if I didn't have something more see-through to flaunt it in. I was starting to get worried, what were they really planning? I did nothing to my hair, I liked it best the way it was, just brushed and hanging loose.

When there was some trouble at the door, Rosanne was swiftly passing a bottle around, keeping a close eye on Johnny. When I tried to just pass it on they scolded me.

"Come on Josephine, just a little sip."

"You know we'd never let anything 'bad' happen to you." Grace's smooth voice rang with suppressed laughter; I was right to suspect something.

Louise reached around me, hugging me softly with one arm. "Come on, don't be so grown up, you'll have time for that later. Let us see you as the little girl you never were. You have no idea what a treat it has been to see you giggling and smiling like you have been tonight."

I rolled my eyes at her and placed the bottle to my mouth, filling my mouth and then almost spitting it out. It burned! I saw Johnny out of the corner of my eye. He wasn't trying to hide anything anymore; he laughed out loud.

"What is this?" I had to force the words, my throat was on fire

"Vodka..."

There was sly looks in every familiar face I saw on our way in. They even hung my coat on a special hook, reachable from outside the desk. What was going on?

I think the ladies got second thoughts as they saw the inside of the club. We never ventured to the lower levels but stayed on the ground floor, positioned at a table right by the Deep Trance dance floor. They looked utterly uncomfortable by the mirrors at one end of the floor, and confused by the wall of monitors on the opposite one. I smiled smugly as I thought about how they might react later, when those screens would broadcast pulsating images and colors in beat with the music. I told them I would go for a round to see who was working and they all started to smile as one. This was getting creepy.

As I reached the bottom floor, where I had spent almost every free night since I moved here, I saw Taylor wiping off his bar. He liked it clean, and you never had to worry about placing your arm in something sticky. The dusk of this floor worked in my favor, I could observe him without being seen. I couldn't get over how his gray eyes sparkled, he was so gorgeous with his blond hair that had just the right amount of red to not be boring. My heart fluttered as I looked at him. I knew he'd be looking at me as soon as I turned away. I love how that makes me feel, feeling someone's eyes on me while I dance. I mean, he wouldn't look if he didn't like what he saw, right? I approached him, feeling my hair jolting at my back, seeing the joy in his eyes as he saw me.

"Hi Tay."

"Hi Phin, you're late."

I rolled my eyes as I answered."Come on, I'm still here before the good music starts, right?"

"You're usually here before any music starts."

"We had our Christmas party tonight, you should be happy I'm here at all."

"Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that. How did it go? All the ladies at home, sleeping now, so you could sneak out?"

"No. They're all here."

"Here? Wow. Must have been a good party then."

"I guess. I just came here to say hi though; I gotta go back up to them, they freaked and wouldn't go down below."

"Oh." He looked so sad I almost thought about abandoning them, but just almost. He was cute, sweet and totally sexy, and we had been flirting for a while now, but he was not someone I would leave my friends for, not tonight, not any night.

"Well, maybe I'll see you around. Bye."

"Yeah, see ya."

Coming back up, I saw that the ladies had ordered a few rounds of drinks. When they asked me if I would dance with them, we ventured to the almost empty dance floor, and I started to dance. I felt so silly as they all just stood there looking at me to begin with, but then Rosanne began to sway her hips a little and the others soon joined her. They were totally off beat, not following the rhythm in the slightest-- but I didn't care, they looked wonderful to me.

Slowly, the dance floor filled up and we decided to stop for refreshments. I put on the brakes as I saw Taylor in the bar. What the...? His eyes glistened with laughter as he saw my reaction. "Hello Ladies, Phin."

"What? Why? How?" I wasn't in any way coherent but I didn't care.

He started to fill up my usual pint of water as he answered. "You know, Ben's been yearning to try the lower bar for months, he was happy enough to trade for the night. What might the beautiful ladies be drinking tonight?"

All of them giggled hysterically at the question, and Louise scowled as he placed the water in front of me. "We will all," here she shot me a look, "have a cosmopolitan. I've always wanted to try one!"

Tay gave me a questioning look, waiting for my nod before he picked up a fourth glass. I lifted my hands, smiling. "What can I say, they caught me off guard."

He actually winked at me as I received my drink!

The night moved on, drinking and dancing. I didn't really drink that much, but lord knows I didn't need to. As we (once again) squeezed ourselves to the middle of the floor, I felt his eyes on me. It felt amazing; heck, I felt amazing. I almost forgot to keep an eye out for pushers-- that's what I call those who seem to make it their mission to bump into everyone in their reach. If I didn't avoid them, I would be all black and blue in the morning. Not a pretty sight. But in the back of my mind the memories of a few hard knocks haphazardly surfaced and I knew it was too late, so I decided it didn't matter.

Suddenly I felt another set of eyes on me, from the other direction. As I felt them on my back, I decided it had to be the "mean girls". They were a group of girls that hung out here and behaved just like the girls in that movie. They branded me a tramp because I had red hair and because I dated Jimmy Johnson when I first moved here. (It turned out he had a girlfriend that he had neglected to tell me about. Lovely.) I'd spent a great deal of my time trying to ignore the rumors they spread about me. I danced a little harder, adamant that they wouldn't ruin this night for me.

Louise showed with her hands that she needed to go sit down, and I followed her and the rest of the ladies-- no need to dance alone this early in the evening.

The ladies settled themselves around the table, but I felt I needed some water and some of Taylor's attention. Before heading over to the bar however, I made a twirl just to see where my antagonists were. I didn't see any girls staring at me with hating eyes, but I did notice a tall, tanned and muscular guy eying me appreciatively. My, my, this night just kept getting better.

I had some extra bounce in my step as I walked to the bar, and Tay no doubt thought it was because of him. Well, let him, then, it's not like that native boy is after anything more than looking. If he was he would have come up to me already, the 'meanies' had made sure to spread around the news that I was ever so willing. Good thing the staff here knew the truth, that for as long as I had been clubbing here I had never left with a guy. Well, except those two times Mike came here to see me, but I guess they didn't count that since I had spent those nights trying to hook him up with every single woman employed, even Cathy, the 61-year-old head of the kitchen.

When Tay got too many customers to be able to talk with me, I returned to my table. The ladies were starting to look exhausted and when asked told me they weren't up for more dancing. Oh, well, it wouldn't be the first time I rocked alone.

Entering the crowd again, I once more felt Tay's eyes on me. He knew I would dance for him, and I saw that my other admirer was talking seriously to Hugh, the head of security. He looked quite young, maybe he had sneaked in with a fake ID? I laughed at that. Figures. My only oglers were staff or underage boys. As the song switched to a remix of Bryan Adams' old "Everything I Do" I looked over at Taylor. He was busy, so I closed my eyes to feel the music better.

When I found my rhythm, I opened my eyes and ignored all the making out going on around me. A smile flew across my face as I once again felt those eyes on my back, almost burning. I began to work my way around, making myself busy looking at everything but him. When I finally rested my eyes on his face, his eyes locked onto mine, without any notion of looking away. He wasn't the least bit bothered that I caught him staring. I moved on, no need to give him any bright ideas.

And then I saw them. The mean girls. If they didn't hate me before, they sure did tonight, no one could miss that Taylor had eyes for nothing but me. I saw them heading for my table and rushed there, I could not let them have a go at my wonderful ladies. As I feared, they came down on me as soon as I sat down, asking me what I thought I was doing, flaunting myself like that, had I no decency in my body?

I tried not to let it get to me, but my head was hot now, my temper was racing again. As I was about to really burst I felt my throat choke up, clamping tight. I got to my feet in a rush, making the sign my ladies knew to mean "asthma," and made my way out as soon as possible.

I didn't know what they had planned in hanging my coat so conveniently, but right now I didn't care-- I was just glad I didn't need to wait in line for it. I almost made it to the cab sign before I ran out of air. Not daring to take even the few steps needed to reach the much needed support the sign might offer me, I tried to take deep breaths, hoping it would suffice.

I heard a voice asking me if I was OK and I was able to wheeze out something about asthma, which just made whoever it was ask more questions. What's with people asking things when they see you can't breathe, even less talk properly. And then he asked if I had called a cab? Of all the stupid things, how was that any of his business? I turned to glare in his direction, and as he backed off I registered that it was the native guy who had been watching me inside.

My head began to spin dangerously and I sat down on my heels, resting my head between my legs. I concentrated on my breathing, trying to calm it down. Of course, I had forgotten to bring my medicine. The cool winter air did wonders for me, though, and I felt the clasps over my chest release. I dared a few deep breaths and it held; unfortunately, the cold air also chilled my already freezing body. I had to get up now, I had to get moving.

I took it slow, rear end first so the drop wouldn't be so big if it all shut tight again. I heard a sound behind me and peeked quickly between my legs, it would just make my night if Tay would come out right now, seeing me like this. To my relief it was only the pestering guy who had turned his back on me. Why wasn't he freezing; he only wore a thin, fitted shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. But that just improved my view, I guess-- perfect vision of his back and below, very nice. I suffocated a giggle. As I stood up straight, the world took another turn and then it vanished, my sight turned black, and I felt the ground quiver under my feet. Damn! I tried to move my legs, movement usually made the head-rush ease, but I couldn't even get my legs to respond.

Just as I thought I was going to faint, I felt a very warm arm around me, holding me securely. The world took a few more spins before slowing down, and finally my vision cleared. I realized I was looking straight into a pair of deep brown eyes with a few hazel streaks that seemed almost golden in the fluorescent street lights. I felt the blood rush to my face. How did this happen?

--

**AN:** So, let me have it. What did you think? And, stealing the inspiration both from lacrema and from another author: **What's your favorite part of this story so far?** (not just RED, but the whole Seth story) and if you hated it, what was your 'worst' part?


	3. walking home

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just make them do foolish things. I am so, SO sorry that it has taken forever to get this chapter up!!! I don't even have a good reason, but I hope you haven't given up on me just yet. Thank you for all the reviews on the last chapter! You are an inspiration! I hope you like this one!

**beta: Lacrema**  
--

**Chapter 3**

**Phin **

I was more than just a little embarrassed about the blush, I never blush! And then I realized he still held me, although I clearly could stand for myself now. Not that I minded, his arm was warm and nice. Very nice, in fact. He looked concerned. Right, I should say something, he couldn't possibly know this happened all the time, admittedly on a lower scale, though.

"Oh my, how embarrassing."

"What?" He looked very confused. I explained why, and then tried to see if his eyes had sparkles in them (there's nothing that makes my tail tingle like a set of sparkling eyes) as he slowly let go of my waist. As he looked at me carefully before releasing my arm, I heard him calling me a lady. I tried my best to muffle the snort, at least I got my tongue on a leash before it blurted out too many bad things.

"Lady? Me?" I rolled my eyes at the thought. Wonder what the meanies would think of that! Me, a lady! "You're not from around here, are you?"

He began to tell me about how he had met some guys whose mission it was to go around by Greyhounds for a year, helping farmers with whatever they needed. He kept looking at me with glowing eyes as he spoke. I guess he must be involved in creating that on-line booking system the farmers used, to be that excited about it. I just shrugged, hmm'ing along to his words. No need to put him down by telling him how flawed that system was and how much trouble it would end up giving him... Not that I could create a system even if my life depended on it, but I sure had installed and done the troubleshooting for more than my fair share. This training people thing I was doing now was really below my capacity (according to my boss), but it was all they had outside of Salt Lake City at the time.

I was really freezing, too, but I didn't want to start to walk while he was still here. My real hair color might be dark blond, but my nanny didn't raise no fool. I wouldn't show him I walked alone, I'd just have to endure the cold until he got a cab. I guessed I could always go back in and wait, but I didn't really like the signs of mischief I had seen. If I went back inside, I would have to subject myself to it again. I'd just stay out here with the tall boy. He had to be almost 6'5, and with that very fluffy hair he was sure to be taller than both my dad and Mike.

I like tall boys-- in fact, Taylor's only flaw was that he was just 2 inches taller than me. But his butt sure made up for what he lacked in height! I loved the jeans he would wear to work, I was almost drooling the night he had lost his work belt and used his own studded one instead. That was the first time I had ever regretted taking a shift in the coat-check. It was a busy night and I got to see far too little of _that _sight. I shivered as my body reacted to the memory. This seemed to freak out my native friend, who started talking about frostbite. If only he knew I already had a few frostbites under my belt... I tried to avoid the question of how I would get home by asking him where he stayed.

"At the Silverthorne B&B, so I'll walk, it shouldn't take more than half an hour, maybe even less."

"Oh..." for crying out loud! Of all the places in this godforsaken town! Right next door? No way I'll be able to walk home unnoticed now. And I really don't want to go back inside. _OK, so he's a big guy... really big... but coach always said, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Yeah, I can take him. If it comes down to it, I can take him. If not by regular means, then I'll just fight dirty, his crotch isn't out of range for my knee._ I made up my mind, I was walking home!

"What? Something wrong with that?" He looked worried. Aww, he actually looked kind of sweet. But half an hour? Come on, it took me ONE and a half on a regular night. Not that I minded, it was refreshing.

"No, it's just that... I was kind of waiting for you to catch a cab so I could walk home myself..." He looked more and more dumbfounded with every word I said. I wondered if he had never met a girl who could take care of herself before.

"OK, where do you live?" He just had to ask, didn't he? Well, it's not like I can keep it a secret anyhow, might as well tell him.

"Two houses from the B&B..."

--

Walking along the road, side by side, we were giggling ourselves to tears. I had no idea why, or what had set us off, but now I just couldn't make myself stop. He was telling me this hilarious story about one of the older guys back at the reservation where he was born, how he had kept following this girl around like a puppy. Dropping everything to be with her, fixing a couple of dirt bikes for her, and forgetting everyone else in the world when she was around. I guess it wasn't a funny story, not really, but it sure seemed like it at the time. When he told me how the girl had gone cliff diving without thinking about the current and an ongoing storm, I laughed so hard my throat shut again.

I dropped down, sitting on my heels again, and an expression of fear scored his handsome face. I waved off his concern, holding up my hand in the 'wait' gesture. I took a few deep breaths before hiccuping out my answer. "Nothin' o worry 'bout. Jus' asthm 'gain."

He seated himself next to me, once again draping his burning arm around me. Seriously, this guy had to run a fever or something, he felt hot through my padded jacket! He slowly traced my cheek with the tip of his finger, leaving a scalding trail. "Did you just giggle yourself into an asthma attack?" He sounded incredulous, but at the same time his voice was filled with laughter.

"M-hm..." All I did was nod. No reason to try to speak, I'd just end up giggling again. And there was only so much my body could take if I was going to make the walk home without wheezing all the way. Or make the walk home at all. That would be nice, to have to ask my new friend to carry me. I giggled at the thought and mentally slapped my fingers. No funny thoughts!

"What's so funny? You know, if you just giggled yourself into an attack, maybe it would be a good idea to not do it anymore..." He was laughing as he spoke and I sent him a dirty glare under my bangs. I shook my head and bunched my knees a few times, then I stretched out my legs, leaving one hand on his shoulder for support as I stood up. The world stayed fairly still, which was more than I had been hoping for, so I took a few trial steps. Before I had completed the second one he was at my side again, clearing his throat.

"So, lets talk about something completely un-funny. I'll begin." He took a deep breath and then let out a sigh. "My dad is dead, my mom just started dating his best friend and my sister has turned into a complete bitch since her boyfriend left her for our cousin."

"Oh." That was all I could say. I mean, how do you respond to that? I could tell him about all the misery in my life... or I could just let him have it out first. Since I had no desire to even remember all the bad things in my life, I kept quiet.

"Well, my sister is better off now, I think. It's been a while and she's gotten some perspective, but still, Emily was her best friend."

"That sucks!" Gush, I hated people who stole each others' boyfriends. I mean, there were a few things you didn't do, and going after a friend's partner was one of them! I must have sounded really hostile because he held up his hands, like he was defending himself.

"No, it's not like that. Or, yes, it is. It's all really complicated, OK? Anyway, Leah is getting better about it, at least she was when I left." For some reason he looked really, really guilty as he said that. I wondered why he left. But I didn't wanna pry. I almost started giggling again at the thought that I knew the name of his sister and cousin, but I still didn't know his. I stifled it before it broke out.

He kept talking about his dad, how he had been and how he died. Then he came to the subject of his mom dating Charlie (another name, small giggle) and how he felt about that. Just as he seemed to run out of serious things to talk about, the road vanished under my feet and I fell, face first, down into a cold and crusty pile of half-melted and refrozen snow. Go figure...

I heard him laughing and it took me some time to find the guts to look up. He was sitting next to me on the pavement, probably soaking the back of his jeans since there was frost on the ground. Tears were streaming from his eyes as he laughed.

"Seriously... I haven't seen a piece of snow for the hour we've been walking." He had to force the words out between his laughter.

"Well, if there is a patch of ice on the road, you can count on me to slip on it." It was the truth, maybe I should have told him earlier what an incredible klutz I was.

"So, you're saying you're quite the danger magnet?" He seemed to find something about that highly amusing.

"No, I'm just downright clumsy, that's all. In other aspects of my life, I can take care of myself. As much as I fall, I've never broken a bone, or been in the ER for that matter." His eyes brightened as I spoke and he let out a relieved laugh. What was that about? Then I lost track of my thoughts as a little sparkle lit in the corner of his eye. I am a sucker for glittering eyes, now and forever. I sighed deeply, and when he looked questioningly at me, I made an attempt to get up to conceal my wandering thoughts. He grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet. Then he wrapped his arm around my waist, holding me close to his side.

"Since you obviously cannot be trusted to stay on your own two feet, I'm going to hold onto you until you're safely home. OK?" He was warm, he was cute, I felt fuzzy inside. I was more than OK.

"OK..." He smiled down at me, and there were that little, tiny sparkle again.

We walked on in silence, not speaking of anything really, just commenting occasionally on things we passed. It gave me time to think. Really think. I knew they had seen me leave with him. I was fairly sure they had set something up with Taylor for me, whether he was in on it or not. There was no other reason for all the ladies and the staff to be so mischievous otherwise. Now, leaving with this native guy, even though that's not really how it happened, would really mess up my plans with Tay. Jeez, of all nights to forget my phone at home. I couldn't even text him to let him know what was going on. If I had known what was going on, that is. I wasn't even sure I wanted to explain myself to him. I was pretty happy where I was, wrapped in this hot guy's embrace.

_JOSEPHINE WILLIAMS! Are you really that fickle at heart? You don't even know this guy! All you know is that he has a hot body and a really nice ass. Even though Tay may not have that much on him when it comes to looks, he is the sweetest guy you've ever known (Mike excluded since he's more of a brother than anything else). Come on, are you really going to ruin all that you and Tay got going? The boy just needs time, he's very shy. It's beginning to roll and you know it. Remember that evening last week, when you and him watched NCIS and played boardgames? It wasn't very romantic, I'll give you that, but it was a start! Do not ruin it just for a fling with someone who will leave when the farm work is done._

I heard myself ranting, shouting at myself in the back of my mind, but I didn't really pay any attention. We were getting close to home, and I didn't want this evening to end just yet. This guy was nice, he hadn't done anything out of place and he seemed genuinely concerned for my well-being without pampering me too much.

As we turned the last corner and came up on the post office, I felt him stiffen beside me and reluctantly pull his arm back from around me. I missed the cozy warm den it had created for me. He looked oddly uncomfortable, searching up and down the dark street. "Do you know if there's any place open that sells food?"

I couldn't keep a giggle from slipping out. "No, there's not. Nothing is open past seven here. There was a place by the nightclub, but I'd say that would be a bit of a drag to walk back there, you'd just be hungry again when you came back."

His shoulders sank down and he looked like a sad little puppy. "Crap. Well, I guess it isn't that many hours until breakfast's being served..."

I suddenly thought of all the leftover food in my (well, the post office's) kitchen. Oh, I hope the ladies don't mind. "You know what, we had our Christmas party tonight," he lifted a brow, smirking at me. "I know, but we can't have it during Christmas, it's too hectic in the post office then," I continued.

He interrupted, "You work in the post office?"

"Yeah, right in here," I tilted my head towards the big window right beside us. "So as I was trying to say, there are a lot of leftovers, too much for me to eat alone before it goes bad."

He looked at me, incredulous again. "Do you mean... like..." Well, at least his verbal skills matched mine.

I rolled my eyes at him, "Yes, I mean, would you like to help me get rid of them?"

His face brightened again, and I couldn't help but feeling a bit giddy as I saw that little star reappearing in his eyes. I opened the front door to the office, pressed the code into the alarm panel and showed him in. He looked a bit unsure of himself; I guess the post office after dark can be a bit spooky. He looked at me curiously as I jumped up on the high desk that divided the room and slid down on the other side to unhook the the chain and open it for him. He followed me, after I had shut the gate and locked it in place again, to the door in the back, leading to the kitchen. I felt a whole swarm of butterflies in my stomach as he stood closely enough behind that I felt his breath on the back of my neck.

---

**AN:** please, let me know what you thought, pretty please!


	4. too easy, way too easy

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just make them dance. Not so long wait for this update *flirting with readers/reviewers* Thanks to all you who reviewed, you are both an inspiration and a motivation. **Fair warning, this gets steamy.** It have made me unsure if it's still T rating, but if I go by Breaking Dawn and the honeymoon stuff, it should be OK. Next chapter will not be up until next weekend (hopefully, my 'real' life is intruding very much on my writing time) and, well, **I hope you enjoy this**, I know I did...

**beta: Lacrema**  
--

**Chapter 4**

**Seth**

Song played: Iris by Goo Goo Dolls

As I came out of the bathroom, I noticed that she had cleared the table of all the empty buckets, leaving them in the sink for the next day. No more leftovers. I hadn't been able help myself, I'd been so hungry and it had all been really good. I'd refrained from licking the bowls, though. Almost. The one with the blueberry pie destroyed my resolve to be civilized. She just laughed at me, delighted that I liked it so much; apparently she had made it.

The door to the next room was open, so I slowly walked in. There was not much furniture in the room, just a shabby little couch, a low table in front of it, a TV, a few plants and a weirdly placed bookshelf. She stood in front of it, fiddling with the stereo placed there, her hair glowing red under the yellow light from the lamp next to the shelf. She looked at me with the faintest of smiles tugging the left corner of her mouth.

"So, do you dance or just watch?"

The question took me by surprise, no one had ever asked me that before. "I think I'm more of a watcher, why?"

"Just a thought, not many people pay to get into a club just to watch..."

"I didn't pay."

She eyed me curiously, but with a hint of annoyance, too.

"Was that why Hugh was talking to you?"

I recognized the name of my new boss and also realized that she must have seen me before our eyes met. "No. We were discussing me becoming a part of the staff."

"Oh..."

She lowered her gaze, cheeks blushing, and looked totally adorable. Then she straightened up, skidded over to me and grabbed my hand, pulling me to the middle of the room. I had no idea what her intention was, but I happily obeyed. She was touching me, and I was in heaven.

"Well, that means there will be no chance of dancing with you later, and since I didn't get a last dance at the club, you are going to give me that here and now." She let go of my hand and turned to the stereo, picking up a small device, clicking it swiftly.

"What's that?"

"My Ipod. It's hooked up to the stereo, so I can play whatever song I want."

"Why don't you just turn the radio on and we'll dance to the first thing that plays?" I wasn't too eager to hear what her perfect last dance song was. Then I would just imagine all the guys she must have danced to it with.

"OK, works for me," she shrugged her shoulders and pushed a few buttons on the console.

Soft music streamed from the speakers, growing silent after a few notes. She came up to me and placed her arms on my shoulders and smiled at me as I just stood there. She let out a giggle and had to lift my hand and place it at her own waist before I snapped out of the trance her hands on my body had put me into. I quickly followed with the other hand. The music started with a few soft tones, and she slowly started to move. I did my best to follow her body, not wanting it to lose contact with mine. I felt a rush of emotions, hot emotions, crash through my veins, and I tried to concentrate on the lyrics as they began.

_And I'd give up forever to touch you,  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow.  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,  
And I don't want to go home right now. _

She leaned her head against me, resting it in the middle of my chest. I had to fight against the urge to bend down and kiss the top of her head. I better not scare her away now that I finally had her in my arms. I felt her body moving in rhythm with the slow beat, her hair whisking over my hands on her back. I tried to ignore how my body reacted to touching hers like this, but in the end I had to resort to drastic measures, conjuring up the picture of Leah that Embry had at the top of his mind ever since he 'accidentally' caught her phasing, again. It worked like magic. I was once again free to just dive into her scent, her presence, her hands on my body...

_  
And all I can taste is this moment,  
And all I can breathe is your life,  
Cause sooner or later it's over,  
I just don't want to miss you tonight. _

Her hands on my body... they were not just on my shoulders now, they were wrapped around my neck and our bodies touched from where her head met my chest down to my knees. Well, I never thought I'd live to see the moment when I wished the image of my naked sister would stay in my head longer. I was wrong.

_  
And I don't want the world to see me,  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand.  
When everything's made to be broken,  
I just want you to know who I am. _

I marveled over the fact that a random song on the radio could be so dead on for the way I felt about her. Her head was still against my chest and I felt her lips move, she was softly singing along to the music. When the song finally ended and she slowly, almost regretfully, unwrapped herself from me, she smiled at me like all the stars in the sky combined. She reached up on her tippy-toes and gave me a peck on the cheek, then blushed and stepped away from me. I reached for her. If she did that, it had to mean I could, too.

But before I touched her, she motioned with her hand towards the kitchen, "Eh... I... eh... I need to go to the bathroom... sorry..." and skidded out of the room.

OK, that was awkward. I stood on the middle of the floor where she left me for a while, trying to decide what to do. I finally decided to try out the sofa; it was small but looked comfortable enough. As I walked over, I wondered how she could skid on this floor, it wasn't smooth at all. I sat down and sunk into the pillows, my knees touching the table. Well, the furniture wasn't made or arranged with werewolves in mind. The music still streamed softly from the radio, but I payed no attention to it, my mind was elsewhere.

When Red re-entered the room she walked softly, more controlled, and sat herself on the table, one leg on each side of my knees. She seemed pleased with something-- smug, even-- so I asked her what was going on.

Her answer was filled with giggles. "Eum, just... how do you intend to get out of there?" She tilted her head towards me, sunk down as I was.

"Oh, I'm sure I can manage, one way or another. And if not, then I'll just have to pull you in with me," I teased her, grabbing her hand and tugging it lightly. She dropped forward, resting her forearms on my knees, her hair falling around her like curtains. _Seth! Hello! Her eyes are IN HER FACE!!! Look at them! NOW! Before you make a fool of yourself! _I heard my better self scolding me, but there was nothing I could do, it was hypnotic. My eyes just pulled to the view a little below their intended destination. She let out another giggle and I knew she had caught my stare. But she didn't seem angry, even though I thought girls always got angry if you stared at their boobs. I tugged her hand a little harder.

"You're just a big tease. You know that, right?" She bobbed her head quickly a few times, trying to muffle the giggles that were causing her body to ripple and her chest to heave.

"Oh, just get over here!" I leaned forward and lifted her from the table and up on my legs, into my lap. _Oh, great plan Seth..._ I had an ever better view now. Sunk down into the cushions as I was, her chest was right in front of my face. But I forgot all the marvels of her body as she leaned down and placed her lips softly, ever so softly, against mine.

My mind went blank. There was no second-self telling me what to do. All I could think, smell, feel, comprehend was Red.

"What did you say?" her lips didn't leave mine, and I realized I had said her name out loud.

"Um, Red?"

"Why, what does it mean?" Her hands were in my hair now, tugging it a little, pulling my face closer. Her hair was shielding us from the world.

"You."

"So, I'm Red?"

"Yeah." I had my hands all over her back now, slowly caressing every curve that I could reach.

"If you're calling me by my hair color, then I'm calling you Fluff..." She tugged my mane a little harder and nibbled my lip. I was losing my mind, she was driving me crazy! I had just imprinted-- I should have to struggle. It shouldn't be this easy. Not even Jared had it this easy-- Kim had made him wait, even though she was head over heels in love with him, just to make sure he wasn't trying to play her. God, what was I suppose to do? She was here, in my arms, wanting the same thing I did, obviously. She eased herself closer to me and I felt her hands running down my sides. I took ahold of her waist, not so much to hold her as to stop her from coming closer. If she did, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to stop myself. As her fingers touched the skin on my stomach (wait, when did she pull up my shirt?), I froze. This had to end, now.

"Red..." I let out a long held breath. Her hands didn't stop.

"Yes, Fluff?" There was a playful tone to her voice, her hands now stroking my stomach muscles.

"Please stop." It hurt me more than I could imagine to say those words. Both because I didn't want her to stop and because she was obviously enjoying herself.

"Why?" She let her hands slide upwards, towards my chest.

"I... because..." How was I supposed to get my point across? To tell her I wanted to but shouldn't? That I wasn't sure this was what she really wanted and not just something she did because she thought it would please me?

"Verbal much?" She mocked me as she nibbled my lips and let her tongue trace the very edge of my mouth.

"Red... please..." She reluctantly stopped and leaned back a little. Damn, would it kill her to wear a hoodie or whatever that would cover up her chest? It was very distracting. VERY distracting.

"So, you wanted me to stop so that you could look at my boobs, instead? Fine." She put her hands at the hem of her top and I felt a shiver run through my body when I realized what she was about to do. I caught her hands before they had lifted the fabric even an inch.

"No, it's not like that. We can't continue this." She leaned forward again, kissing my forehead, giving me a very close look at certain parts of her body.

"How come?" Why didn't she just leave it at that? Oh, right, maybe my hands caressing her rear end or my eyes ogling her chest had something to do with it. I decided to be honest, steadying myself for the laughter that might come if I hadn't interpreted her actions correctly.

"Eh... I.. donhaveanycondoms'kay." I said all the words as one, and as she stiffened in my arms I braced myself for impact.

"Oh."

What? That's it?

"Well, that doesn't really matter now, does it?" she answered with a hurt tone. Straightening up and swinging her left leg over my knees so that she was standing beside me, she turned and walked to the other side of the bookshelf.

I was sitting, well, more like laying, deflated in the couch. Whatever I expected, it wasn't this. I heard her muttering to herself, looking for something. Probably her phone, to call the cops on the creep that stalked her home.

I tried to sit up, better to leave before she got angry, only to realize why she had been so full of glee earlier. It was impossible to make a smooth exit out of this sofa. I was very comfortable, but still kinda stuck. I had just made it from laying to slouching when she came back around the shelf, braiding her hair behind her head. Did she do that just to flaunt her chest to me? As she swung her hair around to the front to continue, I saw she had something between her teeth. A hair band, I gathered, as she took it out and fastened the end of the waist long braid before she spoke.

She eyed me with a smile all over her face. "Impressive. I usually have to roll down on the floor to get out of it." She came up to me, and just as she seated herself on my knees, with her back to me, she threw a small package at my stomach. I gave it one look as I pulled her down towards my chest. Latex-free condoms.

"You just don't give up, do you?" I kissed the top of her head and once again cursed her shirt for giving me such a great view.

"Girls who give up don't get what they want," she purred as she twisted around in my arms to nibble my ear.


	5. waking up

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just mess up their heads beyond belief... Sorry it took me so long to update this, I really am. **Thank you for your patience, and for the reviews!** I will try to better myself! I promise! Now, enjoy...

Explanation to the bold/italics/normal:

Phin's mind works on many levels, and she frequently have discussions with herself in her mind (when sober) and this is a way of marking the differences in "who's" speaking. **Bold** is her prominent 'voice' the one that Edward hears so clearly in the other story, it's also the most practical amongst her 'voices'. _Italics_ and normal are not that different from each other, and move swifter, silenter through her mind. These are the ones that Edward is aware of, but cannot make out since they are so fast and silent.

**beta: Lacrema**  
---

**Chapter 5** waking up

**Phin**

I slowly opened my eyes, squinting in the sunlight that shone through the open bookcase. I hesitated to lift my head, waiting for the hangover to kick in, and just snuggled my head further down in the warm pillow. I felt fuzzy and warm, very warm. Strange, I was never warm...

_Oh, still dreaming. _**Should have figured that one out, everything's crystal clear and I'm not wearing any glasses. Where are they, anyway? I don't remember taking them off. **_That was a lovely party. Did we go clubbing? _**That had to be a dream, the ladies would never...** _Wait, let's pretend it happened, since I'm still dreaming, then that would mean that the hot native guy followed me home._ **Oh, nice dream.**

Just as I noticed a radiating heat behind me, a very warm arm wrapped around me, pulling me tightly to a scolding hot, naked chest. I felt a pair of burning lips kissing the top of my head as a husky voice murmured my new nickname. They then traveled down to my neck, nibbling my ear on the way.

_Very nice dream indeed._

–

This time when I opened my eyes, I knew I was awake. Everything was a blur, I was stretched out straight across the bed and the only one in it.

Still no headache, but I figured I had slept past it, from the height of the sun, it was pushing noon.

I mused over my dream, it had been most exciting. _Oh, yeah, try to __smooth__ over the action with pretty __words__..._ **You behaved like a slut!** _Did not!_ It was a dream! I'm allowed to dream, aren't I? **What will Taylor think?** _Well, since he never once __has__ asked about my dreams, I'm fairly sure it's none of his business._

While the discussion in my mind turned both this way and that, I started looking for my glasses. I usually left them on the bedside table, but they were nowhere to be seen. I guess I took off the lenses last night and went straight to bed. Yeah, that would be most likely. I must have been really sleepy, I had no real memories of either seeing the ladies out or getting ready for bed. I was probably half asleep and dreaming already. I felt a ridiculously wide grin spread on my face at the mere thought of that dream. And then embarrassment. How could I have behaved like that? Even in a dream, jeez... More or less pulling a stranger into my home, feeding him _(oh, I'm hungry, wonder if there's any of Rosanne's pastries left)_, making him dance with me in the 'living room', practically throwing myself at him and actually throwing my condom-pack in his lap. **Now, if that isn't indiscretion, I don't know what is.** Well, at least my dream-self used my condoms and not just any brand. My latex allergy was severe, I'm fairly sure I would be in pain just from using regular ones in dreams.

There was a loud knock on the door in the kitchen and my head snapped to the clock on the wall. 11:30 AM. Shit! I was late! I lived in an apartment attached to the post office, which meant I handled the goods that were delivered during the weekend. Sundays the first load came at ten, and then Joe (who drove the delivery truck) would do some distribution to the open stores and come back so that I could register the signed slips.

"Hey Phin! Get out of bed, all the other girls are up and about already. I admit, Elaine looked like she'd had a long night when she walked the dogs, but I know how you party animals are. Come on, I don't have all day, there's fishing to do."

I tumbled out of bed, surprised to find myself without any clothes on. Scrambling around for some underwear in my drawers, trying to find a pair of matching socks, I noticed my indecent green camisole hanging from the top of the bookshelf. I started giggling at the thought of how I must have looked, waddling towards my bed, ripping my clothes of, throwing them anywhere. Lucky no one had seen me. I pulled on the workpants and reached for the polo I always wore under my incredibly fashionable US mail piqué t-shirt. I zipped up the pants with one hand, trying to find my way into the polo with the other while scanning the room for the oversized shirt. Maybe in the kitchen? I skidded _(Oh, I love how my wool socks __make__ my feet slide over this floor)_ through the doorway, just to crash into something BIG... correction, some_one_... Sitting on the floor where I had landed I looked up the full 6'5" of dream boy towering over me, wearing my missing shirt. I knew I looked like a fool, I felt my jaw hanging wide open, but there was no connection between it and my brain. _Not a dream after all..._

**Seth**

She surprised me when she ran into me, and I had no time to catch her before she was sitting firmly on the floor, legs straight out in front of her, wearing nothing more than some sort of skintight, black, lace camisole and a pair of dark gray utility pants. In her hand was a matching long-sleeved polo shirt. She looked at me with an expression that I couldn't quite figure out. She looked happy, incredulous, scared and appalled at the same time. Only so many of those could come from surprise.

I jumped high when someone rapped sharply on the door behind my back, the one leading into the post office.

"JOSEPHINE! TODAY!" the male voice was the same as earlier, but then I hadn't heard what he had called her, it sounded like Phin? Now that voice sounded very irritated and I saw how the handle started to bend as he opened the door. So did Red, and it took her all of about half a second to snap out of it and pull the polo over her head. She was on her feet and tying on a pair of steel-toed shoes as the door swung open and a man old enough to be her father stuck his head into the room. His eyes registered her and then snapped to me.

"Oh, eh... sorry." The self-closing mechanism slammed the door shut as he took a step back and let go of it.

I got a furious look from the gorgeous girl who now had both of her shoes and her sweater on and was reaching out her hand towards me. I took it and kissed it softly, like I had seen Edward kiss Bella's every now and then back home. She tore her hand away from me, looking even more furious. God, she was smoking hot when she was angry!

"Could I have my shirt, please? I need it for work..." Her voice was stern and defiant. I fought the tears that prickled my eyes as I slowly pulled the navy blue shirt over my head.

"Sorry... but you kinda tore mine to pieces..." I handed her the shirt and wondered why she would wear that shirt to work. It fit me, it wasn't even tight over my chest. When she turned her back to me and pulled it on, it reached almost to her knees, effectively hiding her wondrous curves. Huh, I guess that would be the reason then. I saw the backside of her cheeks flush and wondered if she felt as awkward as I did. I reached for her, just touching her shoulder with the tip of my index finger.

"Red? I'm sorry... Whatever I did to upset you, I'm sorry..." She turned slowly to me, her eyes fixed on my bare feet. Did she think that was weird? I had been lucky to find my pants, they had been behind the TV for some reason. I had no idea where I had left my socks and shoes.

"I gotta go work." Her answer was hurried, like she couldn't get out of the room quick enough. "But for what it's worth, I'm really, really sorry for my behavior last night. My mom didn't raise me like that." She fumbled with something by the door as she spoke, and for some reason I could hear her last words dripping with sarcasm, why? Then she opened the door and stepped through it, turning back towards me. "I'm so, so sorry..." her voice trailed away as the door closed behind her, not slamming this time, just gently gliding shut with a click. I grabbed it to follow her, only to realize it was locked from the other side. All there was on this side was a keyhole.

I turned around and walked back to the other room, passing the bookshelf that shielded off the one room so that a little bedroom was created behind it. I snagged her pillow from the bed and went back to sink down in the couch. It smelled of her, and that was all I wanted right now, her scent in my nostrils. However, my stomach seemed to have more urgent needs, it kept howling at an alarming noise level. The B&B stopped serving breakfast at noon, so I really had to get going... I gathered all the torn pieces that I could find of my last button down shirt and threw them in the garbage before deciding to leave. I hurriedly wrote her a note and left it in the bedside table, then opened the back door, still with her pillow in my arms, only to slam it into a renovation dumpster standing about 3 inches from the door. In the end, I climbed out the window, it was the only way out I found.

I was hoping she would call the B&B, since that was the only number I had, or come around to see me, but she didn't. That night I was feeling utterly lonely. The only thing to ease my pain added to it at the same time-- her scent, embedded in the pillow I had stolen from her bed.

---

**AN:** I am working on what happened between the prior chapter and this one, **anyone interested in reading it?** If you are, tell me. It might turn up in "by request" if I get around to finish it. Maybe I will find the inspiration of my exhaustion eases off a little. Unfortunately it is affecting my writing, and you are the ones who suffer for it. Sorry! And sorry for how short this chapter is, but I had to get something up.


	6. confusion

**Authors note:** All things Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, my Twilight t-shirt belongs to me. I am really, really sorry for this delay. I haven't even got a good excuse... Well, yeah I do, but it doesn't make things better. **Thank you everyone who reviewed!** It means a lot! For what it's worth, I'll try to be faster next time. Emphasis on try here... But feel ascertained, I will NOT abandon any of my stories until the last chapter is written, beta'd and posted.

**beta:** Lacrema  
--

**Chapter 6**

**Phin**

I had the hardest of times concentrating on work, my mind kept going over that steamy night. I got more than one curious look from Joe, but he didn't ask anything. After he left and I was alone with the registration slips, my thoughts started to wander even more. I could feel how flushed my cheeks were-- they were burning, and it amused me a little. I had never blushed before, and now it felt like the constant color of my face.

When I was done with work, going back to my little home, I couldn't decide whether I hoped he would still be there or not. I hadn't asked him to stay, and I had been really, really rude and mean to him. Still... I hoped that something had made him stay, for nothing else than to assure me that he was real, and not just some fantasy.

Well, I had Joe to prove that someone had been there, but could he really be as gorgeous as I remembered him? I hesitated with my fingers lightly against the door handle, delaying the moment when I would have to face up to my actions. The different voices of my thoughts were murmuring in the back of my head, not really giving me any help or distraction. When the clock struck two it startled me so much that I almost fell to the floor. I guess my nerves were really on edge. In the end it was the rumbling in my tummy that made me open the heavy door separating my work space from my home space.

Empty.

Odd how sad it made me that he wasn't there, waiting for me. I raided the kitchen but found nothing edible except instant noodles. While they simmered in the hot water, I cleaned out the bathroom and loaded the washing machine. It only filled halfway, so I returned to the stove and pulled the food away from the flame, then went hunting for dirty clothes. I had to jump to get my green camisole down from the top of the shelf, and I felt my cheeks turn crimson red as I discovered my pants in a pile on top a pair of obviously male socks. I returned my findings to the washer and switched it on, having found nothing else needing to be washed.

On my way back to the kitchen, a piece of fabric in the trashcan caught my attention. I walked over and the heat returned to my face as I pulled out piece after piece of his destroyed shirt. It wasn't so much shredded as it was torn apart at the seams, so I decided to try and put it back together again. If nothing else, I could use it as a peace offering.

Leaving the parts hanging on the armrest of the couch, I retrieved my breakfast/lunch/dinner from the kitchen and then placed myself on the floor. I almost burned my tongue on the noodles, even though they'd had quite some time to cool off. I tried to eat slowly.

My eyes drifted around the room, trying to find some other traces of him. There was nothing but memories and a destroyed shirt as evidence of the unforgettable night.

When I got to my feet (while supporting myself on the floor with my hands), something stuck to my left hand. A piece of paper. Weird. When I carefully detached it from me, I noticed it had my new nickname on it and was folded in half.

He left me a note? I read it carefully, my heart soaring at the thought that he hadn't just left me-- he had been hungry and didn't want to raid my cabinets.

He wanted to see me again. What was I supposed to do?

- - -

A week later I was still fidgeting. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't very well call the B&B and ask for the hot native guy who I knew as Fluff, now, could I? And paying a visit would be no better. Jeez, I didn't even know his real name, and wasn't sure if I remembered how his face looked. I doubted the clerk would recognize him from a perfect, detailed description of his naked chest...

I knew Fluff had been keeping an eye on me, I could see him across the street sometimes, but he never approached, so I guessed my reputation had caught up with me and he was now regretting his actions.

I was beginning to worry about working at the coat check in the club the following weekend, since Hugh had mentioned a new guy starting then. Had to be him. But there wasn't much to do in Silverthorne on weekends, except work. I wasn't in the mood for dancing. I felt like it wouldn't be right for some reason. Maybe because I didn't want to show myself to anyone but him. Maybe because Taylor would know something wasn't as it used to be. I couldn't even imagining myself flirting with him anymore.

I snapped out of my brooding when the hot water ran out and I was showered with icy water instead. I dried off quickly and started blow-drying my long extensions before braiding them so they wouldn't get too damaged while I slept. My brush got stuck in a snag and I cursed the day I had them added. I had been so sick of being Mrs. Rhyus, the wife with the perfect blond helmet, polished in every aspect. I wanted to be wild, at least in appearance, and the long, crimson extensions had stolen my heart. I had them darkened a little, didn't want to be taken for a stoplight after all, so now they had a hint of black in them. The last couple of months I had thought about taking the extensions out and going back to my original mousy hair color many times. Sometimes it seemed like this red mane had only caused trouble for me. But every time I was about to book my appointment, I changed my mind and just had them replace the lengths higher up on my scalp. Because there was one thing I was absolutely sure about. I didn't wanna please the 'mean girls.' And now I could add another reason: Fluff liked it how it was...

On my way to my bed, I stopped in front of the big mirror on the wall opposite of the window. If there hadn't been anything but the forest outside, I would have had it moved, but as it was now, I knew no one could see me. I scanned my body, checking up on my old bruises, which were fading into a greenish yellow, admiring the current ones, still black on my pale skin, and noting the new ones, still nothing more than red shadows below my skin. It was long ago that I had stopped being ashamed of being black and blue all the time, and started saying instead that I collected bruises.

Content with my findings, nothing there that I hadn't been expecting, I shut off the lights and went to bed. I scrambled around under my duvet until I found the shirt. His shirt. I was not pathetic enough to snuggle my face into it every night before I went to sleep. It just happened to be really soft and comfortable... I had slept in it every night since I finished repairing it. I had decided it would be only reasonable to keep it, since he had walked away with my favorite pillow! As I dozed off with his scent in my nostrils, I knew who would occupy my dreams, and I was looking forward to it.

**Seth**

When she didn't call the first night, I had to check on her in the morning. It was fairly easy to sneak up to her window on my way out to the farm without anyone noticing. Evidently she had been sleeping wildly, her cover was more on the floor than in the bed. From here, I had a perfect view of her backside. She slept in a pair of boxers and a tank top. But I barely registered that before I was horrified by the big black bruises splattered like patches all over her body.

I had to leave for work, but the image of her beaten body haunted me throughout the day, and the next day I had to go back. This time she had her face towards me, her eyes squinting in the sunbeam that shone through the empty space of the bookshelf. I placed myself in its line and saw her perfect features relax. I also saw that what I had thought to be a shadow did not go away.

I jerked up, and accidentally left the sun to shine on her again. She turned her head down, leaving the bruise in perfect view. It was a reddish-purple, obviously still developing, and had a pattern like a roughly woven tablecloth. Had she fallen on her kitchen table? From what I had seen of her, it wasn't an impossibility.

The bruises on her thighs still bothered me, along with the ones on her arms. There was no doubt about how they had been caused. I had made them. It had started to dawn on me why the elders had been having "serious conversations" with all of my brothers who had girlfriends. I had been only a fraction away from phasing right on top of her when her kiss had brought me back to sanity. I had not known that could happen, all of my brothers had been too embarrassed to allow any of the elders' warnings to slip through, instead just telling us we'd know in due time. Well, I had never had a girlfriend, and now it was too late. I could only hope she wouldn't hate me for the pain I had caused her.

I could see her noticing me as I followed her throughout the week, whenever I had the chance. I kept up checking in on her before going to the farm, and was appalled by the number of bruises that kept building up as the week came to an end. What was the deal with this girl? I would get a better glimpse this week though, as the farm gig quit early, but the night-club job didn't start until Friday. I had the whole week to follow every step she took. So far, she had seemed neither happy nor annoyed when she saw me here, there and everywhere.

-

When Friday came again, I was exhausted I had followed her everywhere but still had no idea where she kept getting herself bruised up like that. Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays she spent her nights at a local gym. Tuesdays she went swimming at a place halfway between here and Denver. Fridays she seemed content in working out inside her apartment. All days of the week she'd go for long walks before going to bed-- long walks in the hills of the mountains surrounding town.

The area was pretty famous for the hiking trails that snaked through the hills and slopes, but I didn't like her walking there alone. Of course I followed her, but not in human shape. I had discovered a faint vampire trail, heavily worn but out of use for a long time now. I could only assume it was a popular path for that kind of vagabond, and that my scent in the area had made them choose another route. I made sure to run a wide perimeter every night after she was safely back in her bed, and then I slept during the day while she worked.

Nothing in her manners seemed to imply she wanted to see me again. Every time I caught her eye, she looked away. I was beginning to wonder if I had freaked her out, being too intense. Or maybe I had been too rough in bed. That might be it. Leah had once said to me that girls liked to be hugged softly and cuddled sweetly. But then again, knowing my sister, that might just mean they liked the absolute opposite...

I was almost shaking from nervousness as I entered the nightclub again, and was relieved when Hugh greeted me and led me to the back where he handed me a couple of shirts to try on. In the end, I took the biggest one, since it was the only one that barely fit over my chest. The sleeves were still too short, so I rolled them up. We both took one look at the trousers and decided that my black jeans would do. I was dying to be back home, wearing no more than a pair of cut-offs, but I buttoned the shirt all the way up and donned the jacked that came with the attire. Lucky me, it had extra long arms. Everyone else had theirs folded a few times, but on me it was perfect.

As I walked up to the main entrance, I passed the coat-check. In the corner of my eye I saw a glimpse of red, but forced myself to keep going. I was going to do my job, not go hunting after every red thing I could spot. The guy I shared the door with told me that they expected a lot of people. There had been some event going on earlier that day and the area was filled with people eager to party. So, to fill Silverthorne you would need what... 15 people? The town was admittedly bigger than Forks, and more alive, if you didn't count in the rez. The amount of people living here was the same, though.

I could hear the voices of the girls working in the wardrobe, and it didn't take me long to recognize Red's sweet sounds. After listening for a bit, I realized she was working there... How's that for stalking? Getting a job at her place before I even met her. Good thing I told her I got this job before this all happened. I couldn't help myself from stealing glances of her every opportunity I got, and when I went for my break, Hugh pulled me aside.

"Hey, Seth." He looked grave, and a bit uncomfortable. "We've all noticed how you keep checking out Phin. I just want you to know, someone else has dibs on her already. I will not tolerate you fighting over her, and that means you step down, OK? First come, first served. You get what I'm saying? Stay away from her, she's not available."

I briefly considered informing him that I was the one with "dibs", but I was calm enough to see that he meant no harm, and wasn't speaking for himself. He just wanted the workplace to be a nice place for everyone.

"Not that I like how you use the word 'dibs' about her, but yeah, I see what you're saying. We're cool, man." It's not like she wants me anymore, obviously. I'll just stick around long enough to make sure she and Mr. Bartender live happily ever after. I shook my head, wondering if I would ever be able to turn that last thought into a truth. Probably not. I wanted to be that noble, that pure, but knew deep inside that I was nowhere near that. I would stick around, be whatever she wanted me to be. Even if all she wanted was to come thaw her toes on me when her bar-boy was working. I had no choice, and I wasn't entirely sure I wanted one, either.

I walked sluggishly back to my post at the door, and for the remainder of the shift I kept my eyes on the customers and didn't even once glance back towards her bubbly, sparkling laughter. For the first time I did not stop by her window to check on her in the morning. I wouldn't be able to handle it if she was not alone. Or worse yet, not there at all. Then I would go crazy wondering where she was, and spend the night, er, well, morning. sniffing her out, probably finding her wrapped up in bar-boy's arms. There was a red haze covering my eyes as those thoughts rushed through my mind, and I decided to phase and patrol rather than lose it completely and phase inside the rose-patterned inside of my B&B room.

When the Saturday shift began, I adopted my behavior from the night before once again. I did not look her way, I tried not to listen her way, and most of all, I tried to neglect the sweet scent of her wrapping itself around me alluringly. As my second night of work ended early on Sunday morning, there was a note slipped inside of my work locker. There was no name on the outside, but the trace of scent on it told me Red was the author before I even opened it. The words were printed carelessly, like she had written them in haste, before her nerve left her (I hoped) or as if she had been really furious.

"_Regretting it much?"_

How could she ever believe I was regretting anything? I had to go see her!

--

**AN:** Once more, SO sorry for the delay! I hope at least some of you thought it was worth it. And the chapter of what happened between chapters 4 and 5 is now loaded in "by request" so if you feel the need for some hot werewolf-lovin', go check it out.


	7. introduction

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just think she stopped too soon. Here is a little chapter for those of you faithful who still follow me. It isn't long, but I figured that short chapters were better than no chapters. **Thank you so much**, all of you, who keep reading, reviewing and inspiring me!

beta:** Lacrema  
----**

**Chapter 7  
**

**Seth**

I hurried home, running at the top of my human body's capacity. I was happy for the distraction the burn of my muscles gave me, leaving me little room to ponder her note and her motives.

I arrived home before her. Odd. I knew she drove her car to the night job, and it was still not parked in its spot outside. I was beginning to worry when I heard it turn a corner. I swiftly ducked out of the headlight's way. Phew, she was safely home. I headed up to my room-- I needed to shower before I talked to her, badly. Running full speed all dressed up didn't exactly make my super-heated body smell like roses.

I rushed through the shower, hoping I wasn't slow enough to give her time to fall asleep. I knew I'd lose my nerve if I had to wait until morning. As I stepped out of the bathroom and headed for my own room, one of the other residents opened their door and glared at me. I shrugged and apologized for disturbing their sleep, then half ran back to my room to catch up the lost time.

Before leaving my room, now dressed in cut-offs, I picked up the little box that had been lying on my bedside table for weeks. It wasn't much, but it was hers, if she wanted it. Just as I was closing the door, a thought struck me and I turned back inside and picked her pillow off my bed. If I was going to make amends, I better make them properly.

Once I was out in the backyard and walking over to the next one, I felt my knees start to shake. The closer I got to her window, the harder it was to walk straight. I stumbled as I saw it was open. It had never been open before. As I rolled on the ground, trying to not crush the box I carried, I heard a soft giggle. I looked up, and there she was. She must have been sitting in the couch under the window, waiting for me. Her shirt was a bit fuzzy, and she looked sleepy. I wondered briefly if the noise I made falling on my face had woken her up. And if so, had she been sleeping where she was so she wouldn't miss me coming?

"Ehr... Hi" I grinned like a fool and waved pathetically at her. She giggled again.

"Hi yourself. You wanna come in or do you prefer the lawn?" She had the most beautiful smile, even when she looked insecure.

"If I'm allowed, I'd like to come in." I found her pillow beside me and brushed the grass off of it as I picked it up and walked towards her. She stayed where she was, leaning with her elbows on the windowsill. She looked like something out of a painting. She smiled the smile I had already started to love more than anything, the one that turned half her mouth up while the other half stayed straight. I walked up until I stood right in front of her, only inches between our faces. I breathed in her sweet scent before I spoke again.

"If you stay there, you'll get crushed when I heave myself in." I took a risk and winked at her.

My heart took a leap when I received a happy giggle. "I'm not so easily crushable as you seem to think."

"Easily crushable? Did you skip every grammar class in school?" I had to tease her.

"At least I don't lose track of my tongue more often than not."

Ugh. That hurt, she had noticed how lost for words I was around her. "Are you sure?" Before she could answer I grabbed her around the shoulders and planted a kiss right on her lips. After a few seconds I stepped back and mused over her shell-shocked expression.

"Who's lost for words now?" I was sure she could hear how smug I was, I was radiating glee. I could feel it.

"You!" As she said that one word, she sprang out of the sofa and tackled me to the ground. She literally leaped out of the window and knocked me over. She was laying beside me on the lawn, laughing so hard she was crying, as I tried to wrap my head around this, around her. I felt my own body shake with laughter and realized that I didn't care.

I folded her into my arms and tucked the pillow in under our heads where we lay, still laughing so hard my breath was catching in my throat. She had subsided to hiccup-like giggles and squirmed a bit at my side. I released her a little, wondering if I had held her too tight, but she stayed close to me as she reached her arm back and pried something from underneath her hip.

Oh, just great! The little box was completely smashed and the contents were spilling out of the cracks. Way to go Seth. Good job, buddy!

"Aw, you brought me chocolate!" The tone of her voice took me by surprise. She sounded... awestruck, or something.

"Ehm, yeah. I kinda got it for you the day after our last... date." I said the last word carefully, eying her to see if she objected to my choice of words. She didn't, she just beamed up at me even more. "And it's been on my bedside table ever since, waiting for me to get the courage to see you."

"Oh."

"And, eum, it was like a Valentine's gift, 'cos that Saturday was apparently Valentine''s Day and I felt like a creep..." I didn't know what had made me confess that. I felt really corny and just waited for her to start laughing at me. Nothing, not a sound came from her, though her body was still shaking. I reached my hand down and gently pulled up her chin, having to know if she was giggling silently at me. I was stunned when I saw the tears gleaming on her cheeks as her body twitched from quiet sobs.

"What's wrong? What did I do? What did I say? Did I hurt you when we rolled around?"

**Phin**

I couldn't speak, I could only shake my head. How could I tell him? How would he react when he found out that no one, NO ONE except my friends, had ever given me a Valentine? I was married for years, and I had been lucky if he remembered my birthday. I didn't count our wedding anniversaries, because it was painfully obvious that his mom had picked out those presents. I wondered if I was going insane from sleep deprivation, I had never known myself to be this emotional-- but then again, I had never been in love before, either.

"Are you sure you're not hurt?" He asked again, his voice filled with concern, and I couldn't help a smile from pulling up the corner of my mouth, though the tears still streamed uncontrollably. If he only knew how much rougher I usually rolled around. Maybe I could ask him to come watch a practice some day. I bet the kids' group I trained would love that, especially if he'd be up for joining in the wrestling games in the end. The thought cheered me up enough for the tears to settle into drops instead of a waterfall, and I could finally find my voice.

"I'm really sure I'm not hurt. It's just that I've never received a Valentine's gift before, smashed or not." I mentally slapped myself for trying to joke and ending up sounding like a spoiled five-year-old.

"Well, in my defense, I would like to say that it was you yourself who smashed it, and I'm pretty sure it still tastes the same." He gave me a mocking look, as if he dared me to lick it off of the shiny box where it had pressed out.

A sudden realization struck me and I turned around, pulling at his shirt that I was wearing. Sure enough, a few scattered brown chocolate stains were very visible on the thin fabric. "Shoot. Now I'll have to wash it!"

He looked curiously at me. "Is that... my shirt? I thought that was like, ripped to pieces..." He blushed in the cutest way as he said it, and I felt my own face go hot at the thought of why it had been in such a state.

"Um, it kinda was... But I kinda fixed it... and now I kinda sleep in it..." I felt like a fool. And like I had a very limited vocabulary.

"And I thought I was corny sleeping with your pillow pressed to my nose!" He blurted out two seconds before he started howling with laughter."Seriously, you sure you're not just a dream and that I'll wake up talking to my own reflection in the mirror?"

"No. But can your mirror do this?" As I spoke I leaned over him, smirking as he sank deeper in to said pillow before I gave him a peck on the nose. One of his brows raised in a mocking way. I sighed and leaned back to just softly nibble his upper lip. Then I sat straight up, and got to my feet. I was able to take two steps towards the window before he was behind me, scooping me up.

"Tease!"

"You know you love it."

I could hear in his chuckle that he loved this game. He lifted me in through the window as if I weighed nothing at all. I was thoroughly impressed, that was a feat not easily done. I wasn't slender, and my muscles didn't make it easier. Not even the strongest in my advanced Judo group could lift me around at will. Admittedly, I wasn't struggling with Fluff, he could carry me wherever he wanted.

Once inside, I stepped aside to allow him to enter. He did so gracefully, and I felt my jaw drop. I had fleetingly wondered if I would have to replace the sofa after he had crashed down in it like I usually did when I climbed in the window. Then again, he was so tall that he didn't have to jump as high as he could and then kick air the rest of the way to tip over inside.

I seated myself on the floor, still clutching the wrecked box for a second longer before setting it down on the table to start licking the chocolate of my fingers. He watched me with a very pleased expression. Even though the chocolate wasn't that great, it was still somehow the best I had ever had. It made me warm and tingly as its melted sweetness passed down my throat. Once my fingers were clean, I grabbed the box again, and carefully tried to remove the lid without damaging it more. That was when I noticed the card attached to it. It wasn't big, just the little note that came with the box, shaped like a heart. I noticed my hands tremble as I unfolded it, and I felt Fluff's eyes burning on me.

"_If you want it, my heart is yours forever._  
_Seth"_

I looked up at him, and he was looking all lovingly at me. I felt the tears rising again but fought them back-- what was with me today?

"Seth?" His eyes grew wide.

"Oh, yeah, right, we never introduced ourselves, did we?" He looked very embarrassed.

"No, we didn't. I know your sister is Leah, Emily is your cousin and your mom dates Charlie, but you... you're just Fluff." I smiled at him.

"Ouch. Sorry about that. Eum, so, I'm Seth Clearwater." He stood up and held his hand out, like you do when you first meet someone. I got to my feet and mimicked his move.

"Pleasure to meet you Seth, I'm Phin Williams." I shook his hand firmly and then I couldn't help myself any longer. I burst into laughter again, and he followed me seconds later.

---  
**AN:** What do you think of my awkward little duo? A bit different than they were in "Definitely dropped..." don't you think?


	8. PMS'ing

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belongs to Stephenie Meyer, I just play around with the leftovers. Thanks for the review, I was genuinely surprised (and very happy) to see that so many was still following this! **THANK YOU!!!!** This update was a bit quicker, but to be honest I typed them up just days apart. This just needed a little more touch-ups coming back from the beta, which I didn't have time to do until now. I hope you'll enjoy this, and see the little pun planted. Enjoy!

beta: **Lacrema**  
------

**Chapter 8**

**Phin**

A week had passed since that half-awkward Sunday morning that we had spent on the lawn outside my window and then talking on my couch. Fluff, I mean Seth, was a really funny guy, and it made me smile just to think about him. He was devastated that the box of chocolate had been smashed and nothing I did could convince him that I didn't mind. Still, he had brought me chocolate every day since, leaving it at my windowsill for me to find when I got up for work in the mornings. I would have to make him stop, or I would end up looking like a hippopotamus. I could already detect how my tummy was getting bigger; this morning my pants had felt a little tight when I dressed for work. Deliveries again today, as usual on Sundays.

I missed him like crazy. I had seen him a few times, and we had cast long looks after each other, but my schedule was so tight I didn't have any spare time before my training, and in the nights he was at work. I don't know what had gotten into me, but that night after my shift was done and I had finished up all the cleaning I needed to do, I walked next door and asked Mrs. Greenbush who ran the place which room was his. I didn't care about the wry look she shot me before saying that visitors weren't allowed to stay the night and that she expected me to leave no later than 9pm.

My knees were shaking as I climbed the curved stairs to the upper floor. I was lucky, the doors were numbered so I didn't have to count them or wonder if I should have begun at the other end. I was so nervous I felt sick as I tapped the door lightly. Then there was nothing. Complete silence. I knocked harder this time. Still nothing. I wondered why he didn't even answer the door as I hit it really hard one last time, deciding to give it up.

"Hey Red, what did that door ever do to you?" I spun around at the sound of his husky voice close behind me, and lost all coherent thought as I realized he was standing there in nothing but a towel around his hips, water dropping off of him and making small pools around his feet.

"Verbal much?" He said mockingly as he raised a brow and shot me a little smirk.

I shrugged. It was all I could do, I was fairly sure I would drool if I opened my mouth. I had seen him without a shirt before, true, but it had been really, really dark then. And last week the light hadn't been enough to fully emphasize his gorgeous muscles. I mean, when we were inside talking, I hadn't switched on the lights, and... He pulled me into a tight hug and I lost not only my ability to form words, but my ability of coherent thought as well.

"Well, even if you don't feel like speaking, I'm really happy you're here. Come on in." He left his arm around my waist and guided me through the narrow doorway, then shut the door behind us. The room was small, with a small window opposite of the door and a bed on each side of it. Between the beds was a small bedside table, and at the end of one of the beds was a small closet. At the end of the other bed was a desk and a chair. It was about the size of the small kitchen at the post office. I snapped out of my paralysis when he turned to the closet and opened it, evidently to get dressed.

I hastily turned to check out whatever was lying on the desk. There were a few postcards, all of them half written, addressed to the same person: Sue Clearwater. They all started out Hi Mom, and then they started telling about how he had been, and broke off when he tried telling her about some girl he met. Since there were about 7 or 8 cards, I guessed he didn't know quite how to phrase it, and it made me smile. There was something about his modesty and awkwardness that was so endearing. I mean, that a guy with that much muscle and good looks could be so tender, so soft. I wanted to know more about him, every thing about him.

"Found your tongue yet?" The soft murmur of his voice trickled into my ear seconds before he wrapped his arms around my waist and snuggled his nose down into the nape of my neck. I shivered lightly and decided to be brave enough to test my voice.

"Maybe..." I could hear how trembling my voice was, and figured two-syllable words would have to be my limit.

"Did I scare you out there or something? If I did, I didn't mean to, I was just so happy to see you." I tried not to tremble as he spoke with his lips just above my skin, I could feel the air stirring as his words came out. I felt goosebumps raise on my arms and was thankful for the thick hoodie that hid that.

"No." I took a pause to breathe and he seemed to wait for me to continue. I wondered if it would sound foolish if I took a pause to breathe and calm down every other syllable I uttered. "Just... surpr..." And my voice broke and to my embarrassment I felt hot tears trickle down my face.

"Aw, no, don't cry! It's OK, you don't have to speak, I promise!" I didn't even know why I was crying, but I couldn't see anything for the tears as he led me to something and then sat me down and took a seat himself next to me. I figured we had to be on the bed since there was nowhere else to sit in the tiny room. The thought brought even more tears to my eyes.

"Ih... dohn now... why... cwyhing..." I could hardly get the words out through my sobs, but I had to try to make him understand it was nothing he had done. At least I didn't think it was.

"Eh, OK..." He sounded a bit guarded and moved an inch or two away from me, loosening his grip on me. I couldn't even think, I just threw myself at him, trying to ignore the rejection I felt because he didn't want to be close to me.

**  
Seth**

I decided to take a step back when she started crying like that, and when she said she didn't know why, warning bells started ringing in my head. I eased back and looked to see if there was anything she could throw at my head within reach. Just as I figured out that there was nothing close enough that she would be able to lift, she threw herself at me, clutching me tightly and sobbing even harder.

"Doh... doht eave me..." Shit, she had to be one of them girls... I cringed a little, softly patting her back, alert to any shift in her posture that would indicate an attack at my face. I knew what this was. Leah did the same thing once a month, and I had learned pretty quickly to stay the hell away from the house during those days. Of course, nowadays Leah was behaving like she was PMSing constantly, even though I was well informed, as were all the others in the pack, that that was actually impossible.

I sighed and looked down at the sobbing pile of an imprint that was still clutching my cut-offs and burying her head in my thigh. Lovely. If the manager decided to come to announce 'leaving time for any guests' now, I bet she would get a shock, 'cos it sure didn't look as innocent and uncomfortable as it was. I rubbed her back a little harder and then lifted her up, placing her sobbing body in my lap and hugging her carefully.

"Red, maybe you should calm down a little, and go home to get some sleep, and I can come see you tomorrow, OK?" If this was the peak, it should have subsided by tomorrow.

"Ih... Ih... Ih thwaihn t'mowow..." The sobs made her speech sound like a child not capable of pronouncing R's yet, and I found it really cute.

"You train tomorrow?" She nodded her head against my chest, trying somewhat to gain control of her sobbing.

"Well, maybe I can come with you, keep you company?" Not that I needed the exercise, but I really wanted to spend some more time with her.

"Ih's... a gwoup... pwacthise..." I smiled to myself, trying to not make my voice project how adorable I found the way she spoke. If I knew anything about girls this time of the month, it was to never, ever, point out anything they did, in any way. It could only lead to disaster.

"Then maybe I can come watch, wait for you outside or something?" Shit, I hope she's not into that kind of aerobics where they dress in tights and swimsuits on top like in mom's exercise videos. That could get seriously awkward.

"Oh..." She sounded surprised, and the sobs finally stopped. "That... that could work." The R was back as it should be, but she still sounded very vulnerable. "We have benches for those who wanna watch." Good, then the others wouldn't think I was a freak. Imagine if I'd have to sit in the corner of a ballet-room and everyone would glare at me, wondering what kind of creep I was following my girl even there.

"Well, that's settled, then. Where should I meet you?"

"You say well a lot."

I rolled my eyes at her, even though she couldn't see me, and marveled at the mood swings PMS brought on. "I guess I do. Now, where will we meet?" I lifted her head up. I wanted to see her face. It was flustered from all the crying, and her eyes were bloodshot. I wiped away the tears from her face with the corner of my pillow, because it was what laid closest to us.

"You can come to the post office at five tomorrow afternoon, and we can go together. It's about halfway to Denver, and kinda hard to find if you don't know it's there."

I smiled and nodded. No need to tell her I knew exactly where it was since I had been following her everywhere ever since that first night. "OK, I'll be there! Do I need to bring anything?" I mentally slapped myself, why should I bring something to watch her train?

"Eh, no, I don't think so. But maybe you should at least wear a t-shirt..." She glanced down at my bare chest and I felt a boost of my ego that mimicked the one I had felt when I saw her turn around outside my door earlier and just drop her jaw, then snap it up and ogle me all over. I liked that she liked how I looked.

"I can do that. Well, it's settled then! Now you better get going before the warden," I tilted my head towards the stairs and the lower floor, "comes to throw you out." I decided to take a risk and swiftly placed a soft kiss on her forehead.

"Oh... Yeah, I guess. Sorry for the drama." She looked adorable as she apologized, evidently embarrassed.

"Don't mention it, I had a beautiful girl in my arms the whole time, so I didn't mind." I smiled at her and then her face finally broke into that half-smile I loved.

She got to her feet and walked over to the door. As she stepped out she looked back at me, smiling really wide this time. "Bye Fluff, see you tomorrow."

"Bye Red, sweet dreams." I didn't add 'and I'll see you tonight when you sleep', that would just have creeped her out. It wasn't like I stayed there watching her, like I know Edward had done to Bella (that really gave me creepy stalker vibes), but I did check on her every time I went to work and every time I came home.

When I stopped by that night, it made me smile to see her clutching the pillow I had returned, to her nose. She was wrapped up in my shirt, and I chuckled under my breath as I walked away. She had looked downright adorable when she had asked me if she could keep it, because she slept so good in it, and well, it wasn't like I could deny her anything she wanted anyway.

---

**AN:** If you don't get the pun, then, well, I suppose you should have read "Definitely dropped..." more carefully, or maybe it's just been half a year since you read it =)  
Not to be cruel, but I don't think there will be any hopes for more chapters until half of July have passed, since I'll work like crazy (even for a un-preggie) both at my own work and voluntarily, then we have our wedding-party coming up, since we didn't have one at x-mas eve when we tied the knot. But after that I should have some time, and have decided to not do anything useful for atleast a week. This falls under nothing useful by the way, so write I can do =)


	9. training session

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just throw the characters around. **Thanks for all the reviews!** Each and every one of them mean a lot to me! Sorry this keeps taking it's time, but fear not, I will see it through to the end. And for those of you who's also following "Doing what they shouldn't be", I haven't abandoned it, I swear! It's just that I read a fic that was too close to what I had intended to do, so I need to find another path for it and it's taking some time.

**beta:** Lacrema

**Chapter 9**

**Phin**

I was fidgeting while I tried to decide what to wear. Since my shift started so early, I usually got off work about 3pm, and for the last hour, I had tried on every t-shirt in my closet at least twice. I wanted to look good, but not too good. Not like I had dressed up or anything. If I did, the rest of my group would notice and there would be no end to the teasing. The one I really wanted to wear, just a simple white one with some quirky text on it, was currently in the hamper. The text itself was very me, it said "I love my personality problems," but the reason I loved it was that it was just tight enough to show my curves without being clingy.

When the alarm went off at half past four, I knew I had to decide, and gave in to my vanity. I picked a pale pink t-shirt which had the general shape I was looking for, but also a scooping neckline. I was relieved the current fashion included tops to look like you had another top underneath, because a few inches of my sports bra was visible all the way around. So if I can't wrestle my partner to the ground I can just stun him with my sudden cleavage-flashing and he'll probably faint. I smirked at myself in the mirror as I tied my pants and then donned the white robe that made up my gi. I swung the blue, worn-to-threads belt over my shoulder and gave myself a last look. With a sigh I took off the robe and put it in a backpack along with the belt. I pulled the closest hoodie over my head. Who was I trying to kid, I would still be freezing before the car had heated up enough. At that thought I grabbed my winter jacket.

I briefly considered using the window to exit, but decided that I better go through the office as usual, and say good bye to Louise who was still working the front desk. Once outside, shivering in the cold, I was so relieved when I immediately spotted him leaning against the passenger side of my car. I wouldn't need to wait in the cold for him. I hurried in and unlocked his side of the car. My car didn't have automatic locks, and I was too much of a big-city girl to leave the car unlocked like everyone else in town did.

"Hi Red, you look... mismatching," he laughed, as he assessed my thick jacket and thin white cotton pants.

"Hi Fluff." I felt my cheeks go hot and once more wondered what kind of magic this man had over me. I had blushed maybe five times in my entire life before I met him, and now it was almost my constant state. "The pants are a part of my training gear, but I can't wear just that, I'd freeze. My heater is pretty slow, as you can see." I nodded towards the console, where all settings were on hot.

"It's not that cold in here! I bet you could remove at least the jacket or you'll be a puddle of sweat before we get to where we're going." He was beaming at me, and wiggled his eyebrows as he suggested I undress.

I had to laugh. "Well, that you rarely freeze I've already gathered, but I do. And I do this many times a week; I haven't broken a sweat yet." I raised just one brow as I spoke, giving him a bit of a meaningful look. I mean, OK, so he's hot, but I don't think my hormones are that whack.

"How often do you do these trips with someone else in the car? Two people heat a confined area much more efficiently than just one."

"OK, fine! I'll take it off!" I rolled my eyes at him as I struggled to get out of the jacket, because he was right. The coupe already felt habitable, and I hadn't even started the car yet.

"Nice!" He beamed at me, then leaned in and kissed my now-exposed neck. "I bet I could make it hot enough for you to remove some more clothes..."

I just laughed at him, playfully pushed him off of me, slapped his arm, and then turned the key in the ignition, the stereo effectively drowning any protests he might have had.

When I was out of town, on the highway, I tuned down the volume and pointed to the glove compartment. "There are some other CDs there if you wanna listen to something else."

"I don't care, if you like this we can listen to it."

"Well, if you find something you like better, we can listen to that, because I don't have music I don't like in my car."

He occupied himself with going through every single one before he settled for a homemade CD.

"Why did you pick that one?"

"It made me curious since it didn't have a label. When you don't get a written description you don't know what to expect and just have to find out on your own, and I like that."

"OK, fair warning though, I was in a funny mood when I made that one."

"You made this?" He gave me a very pointed look as a song by the Beatles begun to play.

"Well, not the music, but I made the mix. I picked the songs and burned them onto the disc."

"Pirate."

"Who are you to say that I don't own the originals, in which case I am entitled to copy the material for my own use?"

"Pirate." He mused on the word this time.

"What makes you think that?"

"Well, first of all, only one who's into piracy would know that so that they can claim it. And secondly, it takes one to know one..." He winked at me as he said the last words.

"So you're saying you're a bad boy?" I knew I looked doubtful, mainly because his features were so sweet, and his personality was so gentle that I doubted he had ever even thought about illegally copying anything.

"Yes ma'am." His mock southern accent made me laugh, and I was still laughing as I pulled up outside the gym and parked in my usual spot next to the dumpsters.

I grabbed my bag from the backseat and locked the door behind him before I stepped out, locking my own door as I did so. I showed him the way inside, though I would much rather have walked behind him so I could have ogled his back some more.

Once inside I stopped. "OK, here we part." He looked incredibly sad. "You go through that corridor and down the stairs. Take a left when you get down and follow the corridor until it ends, and inside there should be some benches or chairs for spectators. You see, the changing rooms are up here, and then they have separate access to the dojo." I smiled at him when I saw how confused he seemed by the word 'dojo'. This was going to be so much fun! As he started slowly walking away, I realized that I actually felt giddy as I turned to the locker rooms.

I had barely hung my jacket up before the door slammed and I was jumped by two teenage girls from the group, both of them speaking at the same time.

"Who was that!?"

"He was so gorgeous!"

"Are you dating him?"

"Is he a good kisser?"

"Aw, come on, tell us!"

I laughed at their enthusiasm, and that made them calm down a little. "I'll tell you, I'll tell you, just let me have a word in between all the questions."

The shorter one, with blond ponytails above her ears, nodded encouragingly at me.

"That was Seth, he IS totally hot, I guess we might be dating and his kisses are to die for. Happy?" I felt not just a little smug as their jaws dropped towards the floor and stayed there. I bet they had expected him to be my brother, or Mike, whom I spoke about every now and then. When I was all done up in my gi, belt in place and all, they still hadn't regained jaw-control and with a wave I walked towards the other end of the locker room and the passage downstairs. "See you in a bit girls, don't be late, you know how that annoys the coach."

–

There were already a few people up on the tatami, and I saw Fluff sitting in the bleachers talking to one of the guys. Generally, the bleachers were for us, and spectators weren't allowed there, but they seemed to know each other so I guessed he had been called up there, it happened every now and then.

It didn't take long before our coach called us all to order and had us lined up, the two teenage girls making it just in the nick of time. After the greetings and formal stuff, warm-up began and I felt good about myself. I loved how Fluff's eyes were following me. Just like when I danced, I loved the feeling of someone watching me, only here it also gave me the encouragement I needed to give a little extra, to push myself just that much further.

After the running exercises, push-ups, and sit-ups, it was time for pair exercises and I eased over to Timmy as usual. He towered over me, not as big as Fluff, but still one of our biggest guys. Despite the difference in appearance, we weighed the same, and that was what was important to the training. He was also one of my best friends in the group and my favorite to train with.

He gave me one look and then smiled at me. "Brought the boyfriend, did we?" He sounded genuinely happy for me, and I guessed he was. He was married and had a lovely daughter, I really liked his wife the few times we had met.

"I'm not sure we're quite there yet, but maybe with some good luck..." I grinned at him as he heaved me over his shoulders like a fireman and ran a lap around the room with me bouncing there. As he set me on my feet, I hoped I wouldn't trip when it was my turn. That would be so humiliating. I tipped Timmy up over my shoulders and adjusted my grip a little. I actually had the easier task here; he was so tall I didn't have to do much. I slowly jogged my lap and then when we were done, we started jogging beside each other until the next exercise was called.

That went on for another ten minutes before there was a water break and I dragged myself over to the bleachers and dropped into a pile before them, greedily chugging down the water in my bottle. I knew I had done well, I had pushed myself so hard to show Fluff how tough I was. On second thought, maybe that was not the best approach. Guys tend to like girls who are... ladylike. Oh, well, if he doesn't like me the way I am he's a waste of my time anyway. I snickered at myself for being cocky, I knew I wouldn't be so tough if things went south.

When coach called again, I got to my feet and took my place beside Timmy, waiting to hear the instructions.

"Today you get to train a bit freely, walk around and practice your favorite techniques, I'll be helping those of you who need it. Phin, Timmy, show them what I mean."

I grabbed Timmy by the thick woven collar of his robe and pulled it, hard. He answered by pulling back at mine and dragging me along for a bit. We had done this before, and we both knew he'd be the one throwing first. Going through these movements is a well rehearsed play, and our timing was perfect. As he crouched in under me and then sprang up, I felt myself flip in the air, light as a feather, before slamming to the ground with a booming thud.

**Seth**

I saw her in front of her mirror as I came back from my round, I had been checking so there had been no new traces of bloodsuckers around town. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn't resist the chance of seeing her in her underwear. She wore a pair of white boxers and an equally white sports bra. I had seen athletes on TV that wore less when they competed, so I didn't feel like I was peeping that much. She tried on shirt after shirt, and then tried them all again. It made me ridiculously happy, because she never fussed over what to wear normally. She'd just grab what was on top of the wardrobe and leave with her bag. When her alarm went off I realized I had promised to wear a shirt, and I was still just in my cutoffs. I raced to my room and just barely made it back to her car, now dressed in jeans and a sweater, before she exited the post office's front door, dressed as if we were in the Arctic.

The car ride was nice, I got to tease her and learned some more about her taste in music, which proved to be very broad. When we reached the gym, she sent me on my way with some instructions, but I halted when I heard a commotion behind me. I let out a little laugh when I heard it was only a couple of girls showering my Red with questions about me. Before I could hear her answers the door swung shut and muffled the sounds too much to make anything out. I sighed a little and continued. I would survive ten minutes without her, after all, I had all of the ride back home to look forward to.

The 'dojo', whatever that was, wasn't hard to find, big signs showed the way, and once inside I settled on one of the dangerous-looking plastic chairs. The room was bigger than I had thought, about 150 feet deep and maybe a hundred wide. At the long end was a booth that seemed to serve as an office and bleachers with white robes hanging here and there. I shifted a little in my seat and froze as it gave a pained squeal of protest.

"Hey, Seth-man, don't sit there, you'll kill the poor thing!" I was on my feet and turning towards the voice even before I recognized it to be one of the guys who worked permanently at the farm that had brought me to Silverthorne to begin with. His name was John and he was the farmer's eldest son. He waved at me from where he exited the mens' locker room. "Join me up there." He pointed towards the top of the bleacher. I felt a lot more comfortable up there, and we were soon deep into catching up. The coach came to say hello, and John explained that he knew me and therefore I was cool to sit up there.

When the coach called them to order I saw my Red in the midst of the line. They looked kinda silly, all dressed up in what looked like stiff, white PJs with colored belts. There were all the colors of the rainbow present: white, yellow, orange, green, blue (which was what my Red was wearing and I though was the prettiest color), brown and black. I guessed they indicated some sort of level, since the youngest in the group all wore the lighter colors, whereas none of the black-belted people seemed to be under their 20's.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching my girl run around, doing rolls and jumps. It was fun to see her so free. Of what I had seen of her until now, she stumbled on her own feet more often than not, but here she was sure on her feet, even though the floor they were on seemed to be soft somehow. I hadn't walked on it, but I saw how their feet sank down a little as they ran past me. It was made up of squares, maybe 3,5 feet on each side. They went from the bottom of the bleachers to the opposite wall, a dark green color, with a red ring three squares in from the edge. I suppose it had a purpose that I just wasn't aware of.

When the water break was announced, I hoped that she would come up and speak to me, but she just sank down at the floor, hugging her water bottle. Well, I couldn't blame her, she had been carrying around a guy almost as big as me, I couldn't see why the coach hadn't shifted that, he shifted another couple that was too disparate in size. But she had done it. I was so proud of her, and a bit amazed at how strong she was. I guessed that she actually would be able to put up a pretty good fight with me if she ever where in the mood, and not collapsing in giggles all the time.

Once they got up again and the coach called her out with her partner, I watched curiously. I guessed I would finally find out what this sport was all about. I knew it had to be some sort of wrestling, since John was very good at that-- we had wrestled a lot when I worked out on the farm. I noted how she pulled the guys coat, making him bow down, and I flinched as he immediately retorted by pulling her even lower, then up and around. I saw her adjusting, struggling, and then the guy pulled her around him again, at the same time he crouched down, making her end up on his back. As he stretched his leg, one came up in between hers and before I could comprehend what was happening she was flying through the air. His hands on her collar forced her down at his feet with a bone-crushing thud. I was halfway down the bleachers when I heard the coach say "Very good Timmy, perfect timing there!" as Red, without any obvious injuries, came to her feet, and instantly took a grip on the guys robe again. Once more, I didn't even have time to register what was happening before she just walked past him and the big guy fell.

I snapped my mouth shut and sat my butt down before I made more of a fool out of myself.

The rest of the practice was pure torture. Rationally, I could see that she was unharmed from how she sprang to her feet all the time. Admittedly, at the end she got up more slowly from the floor. But all of my imprinted being wanted to get out there and rip those guys to pieces for throwing my girl around like that.

--

**Info:** A dojo is the location where you train Judo. A gi is what the Judo-robe is called. The tatami (the squares on the floor, also called mats) is made by a shock-absorbing material that makes the hard falls completely pain-free if the technique is correct. The pronunciation of gi I'm not sure of, since it's a Japanese word and I only know how we say it, but in my mind it sounds like the gi in Yogi (the bear) and if you wanna be clear you can say judo-gi, but since we're not talking about any other martial arts here, I felt that would be to much. For more info, just wiki Judo.

**AN:** Hope you enjoyed this chapter! **Let me know how you're feeling**, but if you're about to threaten my life for being a slow updater, please remember that I'm currently carries a pup (only 99 days left by the way) so the pack will defend me if you try =)


	10. doctors appointment

**Authors Note:** All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, I just play with the rest. **Thanks for the reviews** guys, it means a lot to me that you still follow this story. I have a question for you at the end, just so you know.

beta: **Lacrema**

**--  
Chapter 10**

**Seth**

It didn't matter that I had seen this before, when the big brute she was fighting threw my Red to the floor I wanted to go up there and beat him up. It had been almost two weeks since she'd brought me along the first time, and the rest of them had accepted that I sat here every practice she had. It was actually practice just twice a week, plus an extra one that wasn't mandatory, and the kids' class she was tutoring. I had enjoyed seeing her teach those kids so much more than I had imagined I would. Maybe because when she taught, no one was throwing her around, and her help-coach was a far more healthy size for her to toss.

I remembered that first session as I followed her out to the car.

She had caught me off guard at the end, asking if I would join them playing. I agreed without really knowing what to do, and ended up beside a tiny little kid who gave me the four-one-one on a game called "bulldog".

"You see him?" The tiny kid pointed at a medium-sized kid who was on all fours in the middle of the "ring" created by the red squares.

I nodded.

"He's the bulldog." My instructor gave me a look that informed me that I'd better pay attention, so I did.

"He's the bulldog, all right."

"This is the safe zone." He pointed at the green mats outside the red ring. "And it's the same on the other side, you have to be all the way over the red before you're safe." He gave me a look as if he wondered if I could keep up.

"OK, beyond red, safe zone, on both sides."

I got an approving nod. "His job," the tiny kid pointed at the one in the middle again, "is to roll you onto your back. Both shoulders in, and then you're also a bulldog. Pretty simple, right?" He seemed very pleased with his explanation.

"So, am I supposed to do something if he tries to roll me? Should I fight back or something?"

"Duh!" The kid gave me an eye-roll as he decided I was obviously dimwitted. "That's what the game is all about. Wrestling!"

There was no time for further instructions, because right then Red called the game to begin. I got over the mat and back a few times, getting a feeling for the game, before the kids decided to target me. I realized they had left me alone so long only to build a posse big enough to take me out. And I had no idea what to do. I could have just crawled over them all, but I was a bit worried that I might trample one or two of them-- they were all a lot smaller than me. Before I had made any decisions they were all over me.

I tried to protest, "Hey, this is the safe zone, remember?"

"After the game is called, the safe zone only exists on the other side. Come on Seth, they're just kids..." Red's voice was slightly mocking, and I could hear the laughter under her breath. She knew this would happen! "Just crawl over to the other side and you'll be safe again." At the end, she even snickered at me!

I tried to move, but realized I was completely covered in children. Even if I could have lifted a hand or knee, there was nowhere for me to put it down. I saw the help-coach sit calmly on the floor beside me, not helping the kids just yet. He had been captured the last round, and I remembered wondering why he had given in so easily to the three kids working on him. Now I understood. Even if I gave in, I had nowhere to roll over, there were bodies all around me. After a while, Red started instructing the kids, and they worked a bit more to the same side, as opposed to just pulling in different directions. Finally, I saw a clear spot to fall on. Just as I was considering it, my legs were pulled out from under me, and tiny hands were rolling me onto my back.

"Seth's taken, only five more. Come on people, if you hurry up, we'll have time to play again." It was Red that had pulled on my legs, of course, and her eyes literally sparkled as she called me "taken". I liked that.

I shook my head, clearing it of the memory. Today was Wednesday, so tomorrow was the kids' class again. I wondered if I wanted to come or if I should make up an excuse to bail out. The kids had been all over me afterward, asking me all kinds of strange questions. And they kept touching me all the time. Not that I minded kids, but that was a bit too much.

I still hadn't decided how to approach the subject, or even if I should. I was even toying with the thought of just not showing up by her car tomorrow when it was time to go, but that felt wrong somehow. She interrupted my thoughts when she spoke.

"Ehr, Fluff?" She sounded nervous.

"Yeah, Red?"

"About tomorrow..." She let her voice trail off.

"What about it?" Had she noticed how uncomfortable I had been in the end? I hoped not. Or had one of the parents disliked the fact that a huge, strange man had been wrestling with their kids?

"I'm not going to the kids' session tomorrow because I have a doctor's appointment and won't make it back in time." She said it pretty quickly, almost blurting it out. I thought I heard some anxiety in her voice, which got me a bit worried.

"Why, is something wrong?"

"No, not really, it's just a yearly check-up, that's all."

"Then why will it take so long? Doesn't the doc work regular hours?" OK, maybe I was out of line asking that, but she really had me worried by the way she was twisting in her driver seat, obviously very uncomfortable.

"It won't take so long, but the appointment is after my shift is done... anditsindenver..."

"Could you please repeat that last part, slowly and clearly? Please?" I had heard what she said, I just wondered what was so bad about Denver.

"It's in Denver." Her voice was trembling when she said it.

"OK. Would you please tell me why that almost makes you cry? You scared of big cities?"

"Ha! I grew up in Salt Lake City!" She snorted out the words.

"Then what is it? You're really making me worried here!" I was begging now.

"It's silly, really." She tried to wave off my concerns, but her hand was visibly shaking.

"Tell me." We were turning up into the alley beside the post office and I decided to give her until the engine was off until I would demand an answer.

She took a deep breath, then another, before she turned towards me, and I saw tears trickling down her cheeks. "I'm really afraid of doctors, OK?"

Great Seth, just great. You made her cry again. I reached after her, pulling her into my arms, and then carefully wiggled her up so that I could move her from her seat to my lap. I cradled her there, stroking her back slowly, just breathing into her hair. I figured she would tell me more if she could.

"I can't talk about why, it hurts too much. Let's just say I have had some bad experiences with hospitals, OK?" I could hear in her voice that she was trying to be brave, to sound as if it wasn't as bad as it was. I wondered how bad it would be if she just let it out.

I kissed her head lightly. "Is that why you're going all the way to Denver for a check-up?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded against my chest. "He's really old, and he has his practice in his home, and he knows me. He knows how afraid I am. He never wears a white coat, or anything. It's just me, him and his office. He has an exam room, but as long as my blood work is OK, he doesn't force me to go in there. And it smells like a home, not like a hospital. I can't take that stench." She was shaking in my arms, but she wasn't sobbing, so I guessed it was fear that caused it.

I thought about it for a few seconds before I spoke. "Do you want me to come with you, to hold your hand?" I wasn't keen on doctors either, but if my Red needed me there, there I would be.

"Thanks, but I think I need to do it myself. I've never been there alone before, and, well, I gotta grow up sometime I guess." Her voice was still trembling, but I could hear the determination behind those words.

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do. I can wait outside in the car." If she got this shattered by thinking about the appointment, what would actually attending it do to her?

"You're really sweet, but I couldn't ask that of you. Besides, that would make you late for work, because I'm going to do some shopping at the same time. I don't go into the city that often."

Ugh, shopping. "Fine, you win, you said the magic word. I'll stay at home, longing for you." I said it like a total drama-queen, and as I'd hoped, it made her laugh.

"What is it with men and shopping?" She smiled and shook her head while I felt my chest swell slightly. She called me a man. I liked that, it made me feel... manly!

"It's against our genes, just like vampires and werewolve--" Too late, I realized what I was saying.

"Vampires and werewolves? Aw, Fluff, been watching "Underworld" one too many times, have we?" She winked at me, and started poking her fingers into my sides.

"Hey, that tickles!" I faux-fought her a little, before folding her together with her arms across her chest and kissing her softly.

"You're very, very pleasant to be around, but unfortunately, I have some drunk people to attend to. Work is calling." I showed her the time on my wrist watch and she almost jumped out of the car without opening the door.

"Smooth Red, very smooth..." I opened the door and swung my legs out with her on them.

"I'm so sorry Fluff, you're going to be so late! Wanna take the car? You can borrow it, it's all my fault!" She sounded really guilty, and for no good reason-- I still had five more minutes before I usually left.

"Nah, no need. I'll be there in plenty of time. As long as I don't lose time kissing you, that is." I gave her a quick peck on the lips before I took off towards the B&B, turning around to wave at her after three steps.

"Good luck tomorrow, and if you change your mind about me coming along, you know where to find me!" I tilted my head towards the big yellow house and turned and walked away while I still could.

I hated to leave her, every time I had to go to work it all but ripped my heart out. Tonight it was even more excruciating because I knew she wasn't OK. She was scared, nervous and trying to be brave, but it was obvious: doctors made my Red sick with fear.

--

I hadn't seen her today, and it was painful. I wondered how bad it would be if I couldn't see her for a few days. OK, so just a few months ago I had never seen her before, but that was then. And those weeks I spent not talking to her weren't quite so bad, because I didn't really know what it was like to be with her. Now I did, and I was going crazy.

Plus, I would have to find a new job. Hugh, the head of security at the club, had told me that with summer came summer tourists. He said he would need me to give him a valid ID, and if I couldn't he'd have to let me go. He'd sounded really reluctant, like he hoped I would have turned 21 by then. I wanted to be honest with him, so I told him that our ways would have to part in five weeks time.

How would I be able to pay the B&B fee if I didn't have a job? I had saved as much of my salary possible, but between rent and food bills, there wasn't much left by the time the next check came.

Worst of all, though, I had talked to Mom. Finally. I had sort of promised her that I would be back before the summer was over.

I guess if my plan of convincing Red to move to Washington was going to work – well, I couldn't imagine how I'd be able to get her to move to La Push, but the same state was better than nothing – I would have to kick it up a notch. I knew she would be done here soon. She had said so herself, she just couldn't decide where to go next. I figured she'd want to see a big city after being in this little desert town. I had a month to convince her.

Going to work, I saw that her car was left in its usual spot. Odd. Well, maybe she took the bus to Denver, being too spastic to drive. It wasn't a far reach. I'd have to check on her when I got home, see that she was OK.

--

Her window was dark and closed when I got off my shift, but I could hear the muffled sound of hysterical sobs inside. I hesitated over whether I should tap on the glass right here and now, or take a shower first. Knowing that a customer had gotten sick on me when we carried him out made my decision for me. I probably smelled of bleach and anti-bacterial rub, a smell close enough to hospital-reek to surely freak my girl out even more.

Once inside my room, I shrugged out of my clothes without even switching on the lights, grabbed my towel where it was flung over the one chair in the room and headed to the shower. I scrubbed hard, trying to wash away any trace of the chemicals that might still be on my skin, and then I wrapped myself up and went back to my room.

When I flicked on the lights, I immediately saw the note on my pillow. It was her handwriting. I unfolded it and there were only four words written inside:

_We need to talk._

Nothing more. Except that the entire note was so stained with tears I could hardly make out the words. What had the doctor done to her? I was furious as I pulled on my cutoffs, almost ripping them to pieces as I yanked them on.

In seconds I was outside her window, tapping on the frame because I was afraid I'd break the glass in my anger. I knew I was being careless. I was already shaking badly, and if I didn't watch it, my Red would get a first-hand view of how "into vampires and werewolves" I really was.

It didn't take her long to come to the window, but it seemed like she hesitated before opening it. I took the time to take a few deep breaths, trying to make my system cool down. I tried smiling at her, but it felt more like a frown. She returned it just as awkwardly before finally opening the window for me.

"Jeez, Red, what happened? What did he do? Are you OK? Want me to go there and rip off his arms? You look like you've been through hell! I should have come with you!" I couldn't stop the flood of words from pouring out of my mouth, and wasn't surprised at all when she took a step back, creating some distance between us. Great, I freaked her out even more. Why couldn't I just be gentle, like Edward? Maybe because I had about a hundred years less experience. Whatever!

"Ehr... It's... Uhm..." She looked so fragile. I had never seen her look so shattered before. She looked like she could break apart from just hearing my voice.

I closed the window behind me and sat down in the sofa, keeping my mouth shut and my hands folded in my lap. I had to, or I would have reached after her, cradled her in my arms and told her everything would be alright. I had a feeling that was exactly what I shouldn't do right now, so I shifted my hands down, underneath me, sitting on them. I saw her moving around, pacing the room, and quickly noted that it seemed there was nothing wrong with her physically.

"Fluff..." Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, and she started shivering badly.

"Yes, Red?" I whispered back at her, thinking that a loud response might spook her into another silent streak.

"Ehr... remember our first meeting?" Still quavering, her small voice was a little easier to make out this time.

"How could I forget? I have never, ever, seen anything more beautiful in my entire life."

I waited for her to speak next, but there was only silence and pacing. And the trickle of her tears. Her step was so silent on the floor that I could hear her tears fall from her eyelashes to her cheeks, and then from her jaw to her camisole. Some of them hit the floor with tiny splashes.

"You'll hate me..." She was again so quiet that I could barely understand her, werewolf hearing and all.

"Red, I could never..." How could she even think that? What had happened? "Tell me what's wrong! Whatever it is, we'll figure it out. If there's something wrong with you that this doctor can't fix, I know a doctor back home who's great. And I promise, he's not like any other doctor you've ever met, and I promise he won't make you go to the hospital even if you need surgery. Please Red, just tell me!" I was drowning her in my words again, but I couldn't take this any more. If there was something wrong, I was sure Carlisle would know what to do about it. If he could fix broken werewolves, then one little human shouldn't be a problem.

I lost all thoughts of home when Red collapsed in a sobbing pile on the floor. I ignored any intentions of giving her time and space and threw myself down beside her. Without waiting for her consent, I drew her up into my lap and rubbed her back, waiting for her to calm down.

"Please, please, tell me what's wrong," I whispered in her ear. I heard her mumble something into my chest, but could not make out what she was saying. "One more time, sweetie, I can't hear you when you do that." I tried to make my voice soft, feeling that she was finally going to tell me what was wrong.

Slowly, so painfully slowly, she lifted her head. As her bloodshot eyes locked into mine, she finally spoke.

"I... I'm pregnant."

--

**AN:** I hope you liked it! So, the question I wanna ask you is: **How much longer do you want me to develop this?** I mean, I will go on until she/they move but after that? I have no intention to go up till the point where "Definitely dropped..." begins, but do you wanna read about their big fight? To me, it was fairly good transcripted in the Seth/Edward convo but how do you guys feel?


	11. goodbye sweetheart

**Authors Note: **All things Twilight belong to Stephenie Meyer, the rest is all me.  
I am now doing what I said I'd never do again, I am posting a un-beta'd chapter. This is because both my beta's are swamped beyond belief and don't have the time, and I hate the "beta searching process" since I have never found anyone good that way. So if you can bare with me going solo, I'll try to get this story done, it has a chapter or two more to it, and the the teaser for the sequel to "Doing..." that I have no idea when will be written =)

All in all, I hope you'll enjoy this un-beta'd chapter!

**Chapter 11**

**Seth**

I was shell-shocked. I couldn't really absorb what she was telling me. Pregnant? How? I looked at her closely, I could see no trace of her tummy pouting, and hadn't she said she didn't have a boyfriend when I first met her?

"How?" I knew the word was wrong as soon as I blurted it out. Her eyes shifted and she straightened her back.

"Well" she gave me a pointed look, using my usual starting line "it sure wasn't the holy spirit, if that's what you're asking. And if your school didn't teach basic biology, it's not my problem. I think you should leave. Now." Her face was stone cold, just like her voice. I whimpered as I obeyed.

I hated leaving, I didn't want to leave. I was pretty sure she was just reacting and wanted nothing more than for me to stay, but she had given a direct order, and I could disobey her no more than I would be able to disobey my Alpha.

Granted, right now I had no Alpha since Jacob had released me from his pack, and I had took of as he laid the command on Leah to join Sam. I refused to spend time around her if she had to be around Sam.

As I reached the end of the lawn I turned around, she was looking at me through the open window. When I sat down she closed it with a slam. She kept looking at me though, and I kept looking at her.

**Phin**

I kept looking at him, for as long as I didn't look away he was still there. I could not believe I had driven him away, because even as I had uttered those words all I wanted was for him to stay. I wanted him to understand without me having to tell him.

How I was so happy, but also so scared. How I already loved my baby, even though it wasn't more than a big cluster of cells yet. It didn't even have a heart that could beat. The doctor said I wasn't very far along, a few weeks, a month and a half tops, while I was laughing myself silly. I could not believe what he was saying. Me, pregnant? He asked me about protection, and all I could do was nod. He said he wanted to run some tests since said protection had obviously failed, but he could do that from what he had left of my blood samples, and would call me when the results were ready. He kept smiling as he finished my chart. He gave me a hug as I left. He also gave me a parcel full of doctors he recommended, because I was his last patient, and his arthritis was getting so bad he could hardly move his fingers at all any more. I cried as I drove home. I took it extremely slowly, because I knew my reactions could not be trusted, and I didn't wanna risk my baby's life. I cried because the only Doctor I could trust would not be at my side if anything went wrong. I cried because I didn't know what to do.

Before I saw the lights of Silverthorne in the distance, I had calmed down and made up my mind. I wasn't going home to SLC, not like this. Not pregnant. I couldn't drop that on Mike and Sanna. I started crying again as I thought of them. I had all but banned them from my mind when I moved here, or I would have gone mental longing for them. Now I was moving anyway, maybe if I could find somewhere like Silverthorne, it was the closest I had ever had to a hometown. Of course, home would never really be home without Sanna and Mike, but if I could not have it all, maybe I could have a little. When I pulled into the alley beside the post office and parked I had already decided to request a transfer the next morning. It would of course take a few weeks before I could move, so the sooner the better. I wasn't sure how Fluff would react, but he had said something about Washington State, and I was going to ask for a placement there. It might not be close to his home, but at least it would be in the same state. And far away from my family.

Now that he was outside, I was doubting my decision. What if he'd hate me for making him a father? And what about his family. No. I couldn't leave it like this. I stretched out my hand to open the window again. In the blink of an eye he was there, prying it open as soon as I had removed the hatch. He offered me his arms, and I eased myself out into them. It was easier to breathe, easier to think, outside in the chill air.

**Seth**

As I sat down against the wall with her in my arms, I felt right again. I waited until she spoke, a bit wiser from my earlier mistake.

"Fluff?" Her voice was small and shaky.

"Yes, Red?" I murmured into her tussled hair.

"What will your family think of this, of me?"

Ugh, that was a question I would prefer not to answer. But I had to.

"Eh, I'm not sure, everyone I know who's got pregnant was already married. Or... there was rumors about one of the seniors when I was in elementary school, but she moved away from the rez straight after graduation. We were told she went to Makah but I've been up there quite a bit, my mom's from there, and I never saw her. I even looked that summer, because I was pesky enough to wanna find out if the rumors of her pregnancy was true."

She shuttered in my arms, her breath catching as she struggled to keep it steady.

"I'm sorry, they're all quite traditional, and won't like it one bit if I come home, pulling along a pregnant girl. But I don't care, Red. I love you!"

Soft sobs were erupting from her, but she tried to quench them. Then she spoke, very quietly.

"Would it be better if I was already pregnant when we met?"

"Huh? Were you?" I was confused. I wasn't sure what she meant, and I didn't want to upset her by asking, but I had to know.

"I mean, if you went back home, say tomorrow, and started living your old life. And then, a while later, a new girl moves to town. She's pregnant, and refuses to speak about it, but then at least it isn't your shame, or your family's."

"No, Red, I could never be ashamed of you! Never!" But that would make it a heck of a lot easier. Mom and Leah would get the chance to know her. Maybe she could confide in them, stuff like that. Heck if I know how women bonded.

"I didn't mean you were. I meant, do you think the people in your rez would have easier accepting you falling in love with a girl you meet around town, than they would if you brought home a pregnant white girl when you've been gone for quite some time?"

"Ugh, you're talking about two bad things here. But I think they would do better with me meeting you when I'm already there."

"OK, so that's settled then. You'll go ahead back home, and I'll see if there is any place needing me up North."

What had I just promised to do? How would I be able to leave her? Even if it was to set up our new life?

**Phin**

I was relieved after talking to him. He wasn't mad, just shocked and confused.

The next morning I called my superior first thing, and asked if he had any small towns in the Washington area. He was a bit surprised, to say the least. He tried to convince me that I was needed in SLC, but I told him that was not even an option. After some more talking, we decided he'd e-mail the available positions and offices as soon as he'd sorted them out.

By lunchtime I had 3 pages of offices in need of training up north. I brought it with me when my shift ended, and took to Google maps to check them out. Some I could cross out immediately, being big cities I knew of, but some of the smaller ones looked really nice.

Especially one called Forks. It was much smaller than Silverthorne, but the population was about the same, and there was a lot of green trees. I liked green. Some more research showed it was fairly close to some bigger cities, and had a uncommonly well reputed hospital. Not that I intended to go near it, but still. The house market seemed slow, but there were some houses for sale that looked really nice. Most of them looked like they came from the same manufacturer, small two story houses with two or three bedrooms. It was suburbia of a town smaller than most suburbs I had seen. It looked calm and peaceful. And not that pictures is the best way to tell, but the people looked friendly.

I e-mailed my superior back my wishes, Forks and two other small towns not too different from it. Then all I could do was wait for them to assign me. I could not control where they would assign me, of course I could refuse the placement, but then I wouldn't have much of a job anywhere else either.

I stayed inside all night, not even taking my bedtime walk. I didn't really feel secure outside now, with the baby to protect. The big bearlike creature didn't scare me before, when it was just me, but now I was terrified it would hurt my baby.

I tried to nap as I waited for Fluff to come home, but couldn't get any rest. When he finally tapped my window I was still awake, though really, really tired.

I let him in, and we went straight to bed when he saw how exhausted I was.

**Seth**

"Red, I talked to Hugh tonight. So now I'm unemployed." It stung a bit to say, I had liked having a job.

"Oh, that fast? Something wrong?"

"Not really, just one of the new bartenders being really pesky about the paperwork" No need to tell her it was her bartender who was causing the fuss. It didn't matter anyway.

"Oh, right. How old are you, really?" no way I was telling her that

"How old are you?" I directed the question right back at her.

"Twenty four, I'll turn 25 the fifth of May." Yikes, wasn't age supposed to be a touchy thing for women?

"Well, then I'm younger than you." Easy now Seth. Don't lie to her. Not that I was sure I could.

"How much younger?" She had to ask, didn't she? "You're at least over 20 though, aren't you?"

I ransacked my mind to find a loophole, and suddenly I saw it.

"Well, do I look like I'm closer to 15 than 25 to you?" I smirked as I said it, and swiftly snuggled my nose down her collarbone, where I knew she was ticklish. Sure enough she started to giggle and didn't press the matter further.

The next morning was awful. I went back to the B&B when she started her shift. I showered, packed up my stuff ad cleaned out the room. None of which took very long. Then I went down to settle my debt, and check out. The manager was awfully curious as to where I would go from there, and looked not just a little disappointed when I told her I was going back home.

I hauled up my backpack and walked over the backyard, to the backside of the post office and Red's window. She had asked me not to leave before she got a chance to say goodbye. The window was opened, and I left my bag outside when I climbed in.

On the table before me was a stack of letters, all addressed to me.

She came in from the kitchen after lunch, and I wondered if she really was that beautiful, or if my mind was playing tricks on me to keep me from leaving.

"I wish we didn't need to play this game." She sounded genuinely sad

"We don't. I can handle my family, they won't like it, but in the end they will accept it." It would take them a while, just as it had when Sam all of a sudden left Leah for Emily, but they would never dispute the imprint.

"No, Seth" The way she used my real name with a sad, tired tone made my heart break. "I don't want to meet them like that. I want to have the chance to know them. I don't want my baby growing up, being called a bastard. It's better this way. The baby's father left when I got pregnant. That is something we both can say, without lying." she sounded so sad saying that, and sobbed a little when I wrapped her in my arms.

"Oh Red, I really wish you didn't find this so complicated." Still, I didn't really know some other way to make it smooth.

"Will you call me when you get there?" She asked, sounding unsure.

"Of course! Will you write your number down for me, please?" I had ratted out her number weeks ago, but she didn't know that.

"Yeah, it's already in the first envelope" she pointed at the stack of letters, only now did I notice that beside my name on it, they also had numbers. "You don't have to like open one each day or anything, I don't care if you open them all tomorrow or just the first and not the rest, but if you open them, I wish you'd do it in order.

"OK, sure."

"And my cell number will only be valid until I move, I got it when I came here, only fitting to end it now. I don't like cellphones that much anyway." She shrugged, and I looked over at her beat up phone. It was a cheap model, with bumps and scratches all over, she dropped it frequently.

"Eh, Red, if you don't mind me asking..." I trailed of, not sure how to continue.

"Go on, you can always ask, I just don't guarantee I'll answer" She smiled sweetly at me.

"Why are you so eager to leave no traces behind you?" It felt off, the whole canceling phone thing.

"It's nothing really, I just feel more secure that way. I don't really like my family, and don't want them to try and contact me."

"Fair enough. Do they know you're here?"

"Yep. Big mistake. Mom keeps calling when I work, because she knows we don't have caller id and I have to pick up in case it's important. So now I'm correcting that." I could hear in her voice, that this was not up for discussion, her mind was already set.

There was a knock on the door, and Red turned to the clock.

"Oh, I got to go back inside and work. I'm sorry. Will you still be here when I get of work for the day?" I pondered it, but knew that if I stayed, I would not be able to leave.

"No, I think I'll get going while the sun's still up." I wrapped her in my arms, as tight as I dared and then kissed her forehead.

"Oh, OK." She sounded disappointed, but then shook her head a bit and looked my in the eyes.

"I love you Fluff. I will see you soon!" She emphasized the will " And I better not come up there finding you entertaining a horde of girls." she winked at the last word, to make sure I knew she was kidding.

"No risk sweetie, I'm branded for life!" I winked back at her, and then I gave into my craving and kissed her on the lips. Slowly at first, then nibbling a bit, and a bit more, until it was more of making out and less of a kiss. We jumped apart at a sharp rap on the door.

"So, I guess this is goodbye." I said as I turned to the window.

"Yeah... I guess so..." I could see she was just seconds away from crying, and I was in no better state.

"Red, let's just say "see ya" and then wave and turn around, like we do every night!"

"Yeah, OK. See ya" Her hand was shaking as she waved.

"See ya" I did my best to keep tears out of my voice, and my hand from quivering too much. I failed. We both smiled one last time at each other, as I climbed out the window and slowly turned around, dragging out that last moment. When I had my back completely against her, I picked up my backpack and started walking.

I went straight into the woods, and when I was well out of sight from any road or trail, I stripped down, stuffed the clothes into the backpack and donned it. The straps fitted weirdly, every loop too big. When I had phased it fitted perfectly. It had took me weeks of trial and error before I found the right concept of straps, and then some to learn to sew good enough for the seams to hold when I ran. While my human mind cried for every step I took away from my imprint, my wolf self was eager to get home, to make a den for my imprint and the little cub to come.

**AN:** Let me know what you think, and if you find any errors, please, please, tell me so I can fix them.


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